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Penny Oleksiak looking for another medal, reaches semis in 100m

Three Canadian women made enough of a splash Wednesday to cement places in swimming semifinal events at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Chantal Van Landeghem, Kierra Smith also advance in swimming for Canada

Jonathan Rumley · CBC Sports ·
Penny Oleksiak, 16, has already won two Olympic medals in swimming at the Rio Games. (Kevin Light/CBC)

By Jonathan Rumley, CBC Sports

Three Canadian women made enough of a splash Wednesday to cement places in swimming semifinal events at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. 

Toronto's Penny Oleksiak, 16, and 22-year-old Chantal Van Landeghem of Winnipeg finished tied for fifth and 10th, respectively, in the 100-metre freestyle heats.

Australia's Cate Campbell, 24, set an Olympic record with an official time of 52.78 seconds in the heats, 0.75 of a second ahead of Oleksiak and 1.11 seconds quicker than Van Landeghem. 

Only the top 16 competitors qualify for the semis at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium, which will be held at 10:12 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

These two young Canadian female athletes have already won a bronze in the 4x100m relay race at the Rio Games and Oleksiak also claimed a silver medal in the 100m butterfly event.

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Kierra Smith of Kelowna, B.C., also clinched a spot among the final 16 competitors in her field Wednesday.

The 22-year-old swam the 200m breaststroke in 2:23.69 seconds, just 0.97 behind the fastest time, recorded by 27-year-old Danish swimmer Rikke Moller Pedersen, who holds the world record in the event. 

Smith is ranked No. 6 in the field of 16 competitors for the semifinals, which are set to begin at 11:11 p.m. ET.

Be sure to tune in and catch all of the live action on the CBC Olympics website. 

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