Canadian History for Kids: 1988 Summer Olympics

It was a golden day for Canadians at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

Michelle Cameron, Carolyn Waldo and Lenox Lewis all struck gold at the summer Olympics for Canada. This Canadian History for Kids, Sketches of Canada, looks at this golden day for Canada!

Carolyn Waldo and Michelle Cameron took home the glorious gold medal from the 1988 summer Olympics in synchronized swimming!

Waldo was the first Canadian female to win two gold medals at one Olympics games, winning both the solo and duo competitions. She also won a silver medal at the earlier 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Lenox Lewis defeated future world champion Riddick Bowe by a second round referee stopped contest, in the super heavyweight division.

At the age of 18, Lewis represented Canada at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He advanced to the quarter-finals, where he lost a decision to American Tyrell Biggs, the eventual gold medalist.

Lewis’ dream was to win a gold medal, so he chose not to turn professional after the Olympics, and instead fought four more years as an amateur, hoping for a second chance to win a gold medal. Lewis realized his dream by winning gold in Korea. He would later become the worlds undisputed heavyweight champion.

Canada sent 328 competitors, 223 men and 105 women, to these Olympics to compete in 193 events in 23 sports. These Olympics will always be remembered as being the Olympics where Ben Johnson apparently won the gold medal and set a world record in the men’s 100 metres, and then was stripped of the medal and the record after testing positive for steroids.
Canada won 3 gold, 2 silver and five bronze medals in Seoul, Korea.

And that’s this week Canadian History for Kids, Sketches of our Canada.
 

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