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Pan Am Games

Canadian women go 1-2 in 2 swimming events

Canada's swim team continued its hot start to the Pan Am Games with gold and silver medals in both the women's 200-metre breastroke and 200m backstroke events Tuesday evening.

Smith, McCabe, Caldwell, Bouchard dominate races

Namish Modi · CBC Sports ·
Teammates Kierra Smith(right) finished first and third in qualifying for the finals of the 200m breastroke, and finished first and second in the finals. (Frank Gunn/Getty Images )

Canada's swim team continued its hot start to the Pan Am Games with gold and silver medals in both the women's 200-metre breaststroke and 200m backstroke events Tuesday evening. 

Kierra Smith and Martha McCabe won gold and silver in the breaststroke while Hilary Caldwell and Dominique Bouchard took the top two spots in the backstroke.

Those four medals highlighted a seven-medal night for Canada in the pool in Toronto.

Smith, McCabe own breaststroke

Smith, a 21-year-old from Kelowna, B.C., broke her own Pan Am record, which she set in the heats earlier in the day, with a time of 2:24.38 to win the gold medal. 

McCabe finished just behind Smith with a time of 2:24.51.

Smith finds it comforting when she is in a final with 25-year-old McCabe, who finished fifth in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

"I love racing people that I know," Smith said. "I just feel way better about it. You know them in the ready room and they make you more comfortable."

McCabe was expecting a duel with her teammate as both she and Smith swam strong second halves.

"It was really close, but to be honest if I had to come second to anyone, I wanted to come second to a Canadian," McCabe said. "I'm going to get to hear the Canadian anthem. Being at home is amazing right now."

U.S. swimmer Annie Lazor won the bronze medal.

Canada has now won gold and silver three times in this event at the Pan Ams (1995 and 1979 were the other years).

Caldwell, Bouchard top back

Caldwell, 24, won the gold medal in the 200m backstroke in a Pan Am-record time of 2:08.22 while Bouchard finished a second a half behind for the silver.

Clara Smiddy of the U.S. took home the bronze. 

Caldwell, from White Rock, B.C., and Bouchard, from North Bay, ON., started out the race behind Smiddy and fellow American Kylie Stewart but stormed back to take a fairly substantial lead in the final 50 metres. 

"It's fun to be able to light it up in front of a home crowd that's for sure," Caldwell said.

Canada wins relay bronze

Canada has won the bronze medal in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay after the U.S. team, who finished second, was initially thought to be be disqualified because one of its swimmers had taped his fingers to treat an injury suffered earlier in the day.

The U.S. now takes home the silver as initially thought, and Canada has pushed back to bronze. 

Canada, led by two-time Olympic-medallist Ryan Cochrane, finished with a time of 7:17.33. 

Brazil won the gold medal with a time of 7:11.15.

The U.S. appealed the ruling of disqualification and appeared to win Tuesday night as Canada has officially been awarded the bronze medal. 

17-year-old Overholt wins silver 

Vancouver's Emily Overholt kept the good start for Canada's women going with a silver medal in the women's 200m freestyle race. 

Overholt, 17, finished behind American Allison Schmitt, a six-time Olympic medallist who won this event at the 2012 London Olympics. 

Canadian Katerine Savard finished fourth.

Canada's women's swimmers have won at least one medal in each event so far at the Pan Ams.

Funk wins silver

Edmonton's Richard Funk joined the medal party with a silver in the men's 200m breastsroke. 

The 22-year-old, who set a personal best with a time of 2:11.51, finished in between Brazilians Thiago Simon and Thiago Pereira, who won gold and silver, respectively. 

The bronze medal for the 29-year-old Pereira gave him 20 medals for his Pan Am career, the most in Pan Am swimming history. He would later add a gold medal in the 4 x 200 m relay for Brazil, giving him 21. 

With Files from The Canadian Press 

With Files from the Canadian Press

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