Although the Paris 2024 Olympic Games have wrapped, it’s never too late to celebrate all the local talent who shone on the world stage. This year’s games saw a number of London-based athletes compete in various different sports. So how did these homegrown heroes stack up in their respective fields? Let’s find out!

Damian Warner

Fanshawe alumnus Damian Warner came into the Paris 2024 games as the reigning decathlon gold medalist, after an awe-inspiring performance at Tokyo 2020. Unfortunately, Warner was not able to defend his title at this year’s games. He competed well in the first five events, and came into the second day of competition motivated and prepared. Following a strong hurdles race and a good performance in the discus throw, Warner’s attempts at the pole vault would ultimately lead to his downfall. Three failed attempts meant Warner had no choice but to bow out of the decathlon early.

“I wanted to stand on top of the podium again for Canada but unfortunately I just wasn’t able to do that,” Warner told reporters at a press conference.

Maggie Mac Neil

London-raised swimmer Maggie Mac Neil was a superstar of the Tokyo 2020 games, earning three medals at her first Olympic games. Although Mac Neil was not able to secure any medals at Paris 2024, she made it to the finals of the 100m Butterfly race, finishing in fifth place. She also competed in the 4x100m relay, where the Canadian women fell just short of the podium, finishing in fourth place. Mac Neil has said Paris 2024 will be her final Olympic Games.

Jessie Fleming and Shelina Zadorsky

It was a mixed bag of emotions for women’s soccer at this year’s Olympic Games. Following a cheating scandal, the Canadian women’s soccer team, captained by London local Jessie Fleming along with fellow Londoner Shelina Zadorsky, were tasked with the near-impossible challenge of needing to win all three group stage games to have any chance at the quarterfinals. Somehow, they did it, making it all the way to the quarterfinals where they would ultimately fall to Germany. Fleming suffered an injury midway through the match, which led to a halftime substitution. The team would eventually lose in a penalty shootout.

Alysha Newman 

The pole-vaulter from Delaware, Ont. made waves at Paris 2024 when she captured the bronze medal. Newman won Canada’s first-ever Olympic medal in women's pole vault with a Canadian-record height of 4.85 metres. Newman is the first Canadian pole vaulter to win a medal since William Halpenny took bronze in the men’s competition at the 1912 Stockholm Games.

Overall, London had a strong showing at this year’s games, even if some athletes didn’t make it to the podium. To see how the rest of Canada performed at Paris 2024, visit olympic.ca.