Canadians to watch at the Pan Am Games

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The Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile officially begin Friday night with the opening ceremony, and preliminary competition is already underway in baseball and boxing. It won't be long before Canadian athletes start piling up medals: 473 of them are competing across the three dozen or so sports on the program, and Canada ranks third all-time in Pan Am Games podiums, behind the United States and Cuba.

Track icon Andre De Grasse and swimming phenom Summer McIntosh are among the high-profile names not taking part in the Games, leaving Canada without its biggest star in the two most popular sports. But the Canadian team still features several accomplished athletes, including 15 who have won Olympic medals.

Here's a look at some of the Canadians likely to reach the podium over the next 17 days:

Maggie Mac Neil (swimming): With McIntosh and three-time backstroke world champ Kylie Masse skipping the Pan Ams and Penny Oleksiak still making her way back from knee and shoulder injuries, Mac Neil is easily Canada's top swimmer in Chile. She's also the country's only reigning Olympic swimming champion, taking gold in the 100m butterfly in Tokyo after winning the world title in that event in 2019. At this year's worlds, Mac Neil, 23, took silver in the 100 fly and helped Canada to a relay bronze. Correction: In yesterday's newsletter previewing the Pan Am Games, I mentioned Josh Liendo, Canada's best male swimmer, as one of the athletes competing. But, after appearing on the initial entry list, he decided not to go.

Maude Charron (weightlifting): Charron, Mac Neil and rowing