London Ontario. Olympic Star Maggie Mac Neil Named Tokyo 2020 Best Female Athlete | The Canadian News

Londoner and Olympic champion Maggie Mac Neil has been named Tokyo 2020 Best Female Athlete by the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC).

Mac Neil, who competed in his first Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer, won gold in the 100m butterfly, silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay team and bronze in the 4x100m medley relay team.

“It is a great honor to receive this award,” said Mac Neil. “There are so many incredible athletes who competed in the (Olympics). With everything we’ve been through over the last year and a half, this makes it even more special. “

The 21-year-old swam the second leg of the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay, which earned Canada its first Tokyo 2020 medal.

Mac Neil then captured Canada’s first gold at Tokyo 2020 when he won the 100m butterfly. His time of 55.59 seconds set a record in the Americas region.

“When Maggie won her gold medal on Day 3 of the Games, it blew the lid off our team’s boiling pot,” said Marnie McBean, Team Canada’s Tokyo 2020 mission chief. “Performing at that level after spending a significant amount of time training in their backyard pool … confirmed to the rest of the team that one-time, less-than-ideal training programs could result in world-class results. “.

The Association of National Olympic Committees is a coordinating organization representing the collective interests of the 206 National Olympic Committees of the world.

The ANOC Awards were first presented in 2014 and are now awarded after each Olympiad. They recognize outstanding athletic achievements from the most recent Olympic Games.