The Olympics have officially arrived, and – for those keeping watch – two Miltonians will be part of the competitive mix in Paris.
Representing their country in basketball and track cycling respectively, Kayla Alexander and Michael Foley are both Milton District High School graduates about to make their second straight appearance at the Summer Games.
Each has competed in France in the past, while both will be playing a bigger role with their respective teams compared to their Olympic debut.
A co-captain with Canada’s women’s squad, 33-year-old Alexander – who’s played in the WNBA and all over the world since a stellar career at Syracuse University – hopes to rebound from a rather disappointing ninth-place finish in Tokyo.
Her Canadians begin preliminary play against host France July 29, and also face Australia and Nigeria in Group B. The medal round is set for Aug. 11.
Placing fifth and 12th in the men’s team pursuit and madison respectively in Tokyo, 25-year-old Foley will compete in those same two events this time around.
He now serves as the veteran of Canada’s track endurance team after a mass exodus of cyclists following the 2020 Olympics.
The men’s team pursuit qualifying round will be held on Aug. 5, with the finals scheduled for Aug. 7. The madison final is on Aug. 10.
More on Foley's journey to the Olympics can be read here. Click here for more on Alexander.
The opening ceremony begins at 2 p.m. today (July 26), with sprinter Andre De Grass and weightlifter Maude Charron serving as Canada's flagbearers. For the first time in history the Olympics' opening ceremony will not be held in a stadium. Instead, athletes with be floating in boats along the Seine River.
The Olympics run until Aug. 11.
Canada won 24 medals at the 2020 Tokyo Games, with its biggest medal haul at the Summer Olympics coming in 1984 in Los Angeles, where 44 medals -- including a record-high 10 golds -- were secured.