Penny Oleksiak
Olympic swimmer
48Toronto’s most dominant athlete of 2016 wasn’t a Raptor, Leaf or Jay, but a shy 16-year-old swimmer who brings a lucky blankie with her to meets. Going into Rio, Oleksiak was a relative unknown. Then she won Canada’s first medal there, a bronze in the freestyle relay. Then came another medal, and another, and another. By the time she hoisted the flag at the closing ceremonies, she was a national superstar, earning shout-outs from Justin Trudeau and Drake, and a parade in her honour when she landed back in Toronto.
Up next:
Graduating high school and training for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. During the next two Games, she’ll be in her 20s—the age when most swimmers are at their best.
The PM is Toronto’s most influential person (even though, yes, he doesn’t live here)
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The guy who brought Toronto basketball back from the brink
The film festival gatekeepers
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The TV star who might (or might not) be PM material
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Waterloo’s billion-dollar man
Toronto’s ride-hailing king
The Black Lives Matter Toronto organizers
The rising Hollywood star
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The new Art Gallery of Ontario honcho
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![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/city/toronto-50-most-influential-2016-penny-oleksiak/&title=Toronto’s 50 Most Influential: #48, Penny Oleksiak&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/penny-oleksiak.jpg&description=Penny Oleksiak
Olympic swimmer
48Toronto’s most dominant athlete of 2016 wasn’t a Raptor, Leaf or Jay, but a shy 16-year-old swimmer who brings a lucky blankie with her to meets. Going into Rio, Oleksiak was a relative unknown. Then she won Canada’s first medal there, a bronze in the freestyle relay. Then came another medal, and another, and another. By the time she hoisted the flag at the closing ceremonies, she was a national superstar, earning shout-outs from Justin Trudeau and Drake, and a parade in her honour when she landed back in Toronto.
Up next: Graduating high school and training for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. During the next two Games, she’ll be in her 20s—the age when most swimmers are at their best.
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