[CofR]

Well we're closing the door on what was a successful games for Canada in many ways. Looking forward to 2020 we have a lot to be excited about. The obvious standouts in high profile events from these games are Penny Oleksiak and Andre De Grasse.

Oleksiak will be 20 when the games are held in Tokyo, with four complete years of full time training and preparation she has the potential to be an incredibly successful athlete for our country when she attempts to improve on her medal collection, and Olympic Record she has already set. It's important to remember the lesson taught to the world by Missy Franklin, and to temper the expectations for teenage athletes. But Oleksiak seems like a special competitor, who loves her sport and doesn't have to make a decision regarding swimming in the NCAA for another two years, so she should be able to remain focused on training and preparing for 2020. The FINA World Championships take place in Budapest next July, and will hopefully be an opportunity for us to see Oleksiak compete again.

Andre De Grasse proved to the world what Canadians have known since the 2015 NCAA Championship, he is not to be underestimated. At 21 years old De Grasse broke Canadian records, stood on the podium, and captivated the imagine of our nation with the thought of being able to relive the glory of Donovan Bailey's run in 1996. As long as De Grasse can stay healthy, there's no reason we shouldn't see him on the podium again in 2020.

But outside of De Grasse and Oleksiak there are plenty of other young Canadian athletes who will be aiming to be on the podium in Tokyo. Defending gold medalists Erica Wiebe and Derek Drouin will be 31 and 30 respectively, not out of the realm of possibility for both of them to in a position to successfully defend their titles in their sports.

Taylor Ruck managed to win two bronze medals competing in the relays with our successful Women's Swimming Team, at the age of 16. 18 year old Emily Overholt won a bronze medal in the 4x200m Freestyle Relay, and she made the Final of the 400m Individual Medley finishing fifth. Chantal Van Landeghem won a bronze as a part of the 4x100m Freestyle at the age of 22. Santo Condorelli, who finished 4th in the Men's 100m Freestyle Final will be 26 in Tokyo. 18 year old Javier Acevedo, who didn't make it past the heats, finished with the fastest time in the 100m backstroke of any junior aged competitor in Rio.

22 year old Shawn Barber had a disappointing Olympics, but the 2015 World Champion in Pole Vault should be back for 2020. 23 year old Dori Yeats lost in a bronze medal match of the Women's 69kg Freestyle Wrestling, and she stated after the match "I'm just getting started".

Brooke Henderson will be 22 when the games head to Tokyo, with four more years of LPGA experience. As for tennis, it's hard to predict what the sport will look like in four years. But with missing our greatest men's singles player this year, and having incredibly high potential junior players now Canada should be a threat for medals in 2020. The Women's Basketball Team didn't perform to the level they feel capable of, and will be better in Tokyo. In Tokyo the Men's Team should also qualify, with a handful of young, high level players in the NBA.

CANWNT have now won Bronze in the past two Olympiads, but with young players like Buchanan (20), Lawrence (21), Fleming (18), Beckie (21), Rose (17) there is no reason to think that they won't continue improving heading toward Tokyo.

Thanks everyone for enjoying these Olympics here. Was a lot of fun sharing the joys and pains of sport with everyone here, and enjoyed the support shown to our amateur athletes! There's plenty of other things to look forward to in Tokyo that aren't listed here, lots of incredibly talented athletes in this country that will introduce themselves to the nation in the coming years. Hopefully these games will have created more support and enthusiasm for amateur sport in this country, and hopefully these games have inspired some young people to try a sport they normally wouldn't have.

So what are everyone's thoughts on the games? Which athletes are you most looking forward to following over the next 4 years? Only 536 days until the winter games start in Pyeongchang!