Twenty years after Canada won its last Olympic track and field gold medal, with Donovan Bailey winning the 100 meters in Atlanta, the nation’s gold medal drought came to an end in the men’s high jump.
Derek Drouin cleared 7 feet, 9 ¾ inches (2.38 meters) on his first attempt at that height, and after Ukraine’s Bohdan Bondarenko failed to clear 2.40 meters Drouin was the Olympic champion. With the Olympic record being 2.39 meters, set by Austin Charles of the U.S. in 1996, Drouin made one attempt at 2.40 meters following Bondarenko’s failed attempt with the gold medal sewn up.