Roundup: Canada takes more gold, Kanye West to close Pan Am Games

Canada has already surpassed its gold medal total from the 2011 Pan American Games, and it's only day five.

Canada added eight more gold medals Wednesday at Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games, bringing its tally to 33 with a combined 83 medals to remain atop the standings, while the United States took home 86 medals including 28 gold.

Already a three-time medalist at these Games, Canadian gymnast Ellie Black took home two more gold medals, in the women's floor and balance-beam event, to give her five medals (three gold, one silver, one bronze) in five events.

"This was more than I expected, this has been incredible. The support here has been amazing, I'm was so proud of our team coming in silver, and individually in my finals I was not expecting half of this," Black said following her gold in the women's floor event.

Earlier on Wednesday, Canada earned a medal in four of five races, including three gold, on the final day of rowing competition at the Royal Canadian Henley course in St. Catharines, Ontario. The men's lightweight coxless fours, the men's eight and the women's quadruple sculls all topped the podium.

Lynda Kiejko, of Calgary, won the gold medal in the women's 25-meter pistol event. Kiejko also won gold in the women's 10-meter air pistol on Sunday.

Kierra Smith and Hilary Caldwell led Canada to a pair of one-two finishes in the swimming competition. Smith won gold in the 200-meter women's breaststroke in a Pan Am record time of two minutes 24.38 seconds. Toronto's Martha McCabe finished 0.13 seconds back to take silver.

Caldwell, from White Rock B.C., set a Pan Am record in the 200 backstroke, winning in 2:08.22. Dominique Bouchard of North Bay, Ontario, was second in 2:09.74.

In an unexpected move, four Cuban rowers have defected to the United States during the Pan Am Games, according to the team's coach Juan Carlos Reyes. The coach said Leosmel Ramos, Wilber Turro, Manuel Suarez and Orlando Sotolongo have left the team and traveled south across the border.

There are more than 150 Cuban athletes at the Pan Am Games, competing in a range of sports. Defections have happened at past Canadian competitions. Eight members of the Cuban delegation defected when Canada last hosted the Pan Am Games in 1999.

Also on Wednesday, Toronto was abuzz with the news that U.S. rapper Kanye West would headline the Pan Am Games closing ceremonies. The Grammy Award-winning and world-renowned artist will join Canadian star Serena Ryder and American rapper Pitbull onstage July 26 at the closing ceremonies at Rogers Centre.

"If this doesn't get you excited and you don't think there's going to be a party in Toronto on the 26th of July, then we have nothing left for you," Toronto 2015 CEO Saad Rafi said in announcing the headlining acts Wednesday.

But picking an American rap artist to headline the closing ceremonies in a Canadian city has riled up some people, including more than 1,100 who signed a Change.org petition within hours of the announcement requesting organizers to reconsider their decision.

"It would only be just to ask a proud Torontonian (or even a Canadian for that matter) in the music industry to perform," the petition states, listing Drake, Shania Twain and Metric as notable examples.

"Just like many elements of our games, whether they be opening or closing ceremonies, we have made contributions towards various elements and sometimes all contributions come from sponsors," Rafi said.

Ticket prices for the closing ceremonies start at 90 Canadian dollars and are still available at toronto2015.org/tickets, organizers said. Enditem