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Roundup: U.S. overtakes Canada in medal totals at Pan Am Games

Xinhua, July 19, 2015 Adjust font size:

After holding off the United States for most of the first half of Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, host Canadians slipped behind their arch rivals in the gold medal standings for the first time on Saturday.

Canada started slow on Day 8 of the Games before rebounding to win 12 medals, including three gold.

But the powerful Americans surged ahead Saturday with 10 gold medals and 21 overall. The U.S. now has 50 gold, 41 silver and 44 bronze medals to lead both the gold and overall table.

Canada is second in both categories with 48 gold, 41 silver and 33 bronze. The hosts, who have already eclipsed their gold and overall totals from the 2011 Pan Am Games, are still well on their way to their goal of finishing in the top two overall.

Brazil is well back in third with 28 gold and 86 overall medals.

Canada was led on Day 8 by gold medals from the men's softball team, cyclist Hugo Barrette and veteran swimmer Ryan Cochrane.

The softball team capped a slow afternoon for Canada with a 2-1 win over Venezuela for their eighth straight Pan Am gold.

There will be more medals on the way for Canada from the Ajax venue, as the men's baseball team advanced to the final with a 7-1 win over Puerto Rico. They will face the U.S. in Sunday's final.

In Milton, Barrette continued Canada's dominance in track cycling, winning gold in the men's sprint. Canada has five gold medals so far on the track.

Canada closed out the swimming competition with four medals Saturday, including a gold for Victoria native Cochrane in the men's 1,500-meter freestyle.

Cochrane set a new Pan Am record by winning in a time of 15 minutes 6.40 seconds.

It's the second gold of the Games for Victoria native Cochrane, who won the men's 400 freestyle on Friday.

In swimming competition, Canada finished with eight gold, 10 silver and nine bronze, holding its own against powerful teams from the U.S. and Brazil.

Canada finished wrestling competition with eight medals - three gold, three silver and two bronze.

Elsewhere, Peru's Gladys Tejeda won the gold medal in the women's marathon Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, Toronto's medical officer of health issued the first heat alert of 2015 on Saturday, ahead of temperatures that are expected to exceed 30C this weekend. Two athletes were treated for heat-related illness on Saturday morning by Pan Am Games medical staff, officials said.

Environment Canada has also issued a heat warning for much of southern Ontario, and the Pan Am Games is warning athletes and spectators to watch for signs of overheating, as temperatures soar during the second weekend of the competition.

Spectators are urged to wear hats, drink lots of water and apply sunscreen frequently. The region could see some relief on Monday, when Environment Canada is calling for a high in the upper 20s. Enditem