Maggie Mac Neil won her fifth gold medal in her Pan American Games debut and led a stellar final act for Canada at the Santiago 2023 swimming event, largely dominated by the United States.

Mac Neil won her final gold medal in continental competition on Wednesday, swimming the butterfly leg – her specialty – in the women’s 4×100 medley relay. The Canadians triumphed with a time of 3:58.76. The United States won the silver medal and Mexico stood on the podium with a bronze medal.

The Olympic champion in the 100 fly at the Tokyo 2020 Games became the first Canadian athlete to win five gold medals at a single Pan American Games. She left behind her compatriot Jessica Deglau (1999) and another couple for the gold record won by a Canadian.

Mac Neil also won the 100 butterfly, the 50 and 100 freestyle as well as the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay.

Despite Mac Neil’s efforts, after five days of competition at the National Stadium Aquatic Center, the Americans finished with 19 gold medals to 11 for the Canadians. Brazil came in third place overall with seven gold medals.

Canada won its first gold medal of the day in the 200-meter individual medley when Sydney Pickrem clocked 2:09.04. Her compatriot Mary-Sophie Harvey won silver in 2:11.92. The bronze medal went to Kennedy Noble with a time of 2:14.19.

Pickrem set a Pan American record, surpassing American Caitlin Leverenz’s 2:10.51, set in Toronto in 2015.

Finlay Knox added another in the same event, but on the men’s side, with a best of 1:58.74. The American Arsenio Bustos won the silver medal and the Brazilian Leonardo Coehlo the bronze medal.

The United States won two gold medals that day. The first was won by Rachel Stege, who came back with a time of 16:13.59 and beat local Kristel Köbrich, who took silver with a time of 16:14.59. Brazilian Viviane Jungblut won bronze with a time of 16:16.89.

The other American gold medal was obtained in the men’s 4×100 relay with a record of 3:33.29 with which they surpassed Brazil who had a time of 3:35.12 and Canada 3:35.72.

The other title of the day went to Brazil in the men’s 1,500 meter freestyle, where the gold medal went to Guilherme Costa with a time of 15:09.29. The American John William Gallant won silver and the Venezuelan Alfonso Mestre the bronze.