Swimmer Penny Oleksiak Makes History with her 6th record-tying Olympic Medal

Canadian swimmer Penny Oleksiak, during the ongoing Tokyo Olympics 2020, has received her record-tying 6th Olympic medal.

Minutes before her 200-metre freestyle race, Penny Oleksiak was doing everything she could to calm herself down.

“I had a moment where I literally thought I was going to pass out from nerves,” she said. “But I was in the ready room and I told myself, ‘Penny, if you come in last it doesn’t matter, you still have three races to get medals.'”

Then the 21-year-old from Toronto swam a personal best time of one minute, 54.70 seconds, enough to win bronze and become the most decorated Summer Olympian in Canadian history.

It’s her sixth Olympic medal and third bronze of her illustrious career. She secured Canada to a silver medal in the 4×100-metre freestyle to go with the four she won in her first Olympics in 2016 in Rio — one gold, one silver and two bronze.

“I just love the Olympics. I think they’re so fun and I think knowing the whole world is watching is super crazy,” she said. “I’m not done yet so I hope there’s more coming.”

Penny Oleksiak ties speed skaters Clara Hughes and Cindy Klassen for the most medals won by Canadian Olympians.

“I’m just competitive. I love pressure I guess. I know when it counts I’m able to show up for it. Bronze medal. I couldn’t ask for anything more,” Oleksiak said.

A day earlier, Oleksiakthe swimmer finished fourth in her semifinal with a time of 1:56.39, only the sixth-fastest of the eight finalists. But when it mattered most, like so many times before, Oleksiak found a way to make it onto the podium.

“I don’t think I’m here by chance. In Rio, every time I got a medal I was like, ‘I’m so lucky, I’m so lucky,'” she said. “I think now I have a lot of confidence in my training and put in a lot of work.”