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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulated him on Twitter. Radio stations in Canada were “buzzing with his performance,” according to Matheiu Gentes of Athletics Canada. His countrymen gathered around TVs to watch. Drouin subsequently held a news conference at Rio’s Main Press Center.

Only two other men had ever won high jump gold with zero misses en route: Russia’s Andrey Silnov in 2008 and West Germany’s Dietmar Mogenburg in 1984.

Drouin became the second Canadian to win gold in the high jump, after Duncan McNaughton at Los Angeles in 1932, and first in a field event since then. Drouin was Canada’s first gold medalist in individual track or field since 100-meter winner Donovan Bailey in 1996.

Considering his injured back, Drouin’s comeback was reminiscent of several others in Olympic lore:

· In 1964, Al Oerter endured a chronic cervical disc injury, then tore cartilage in his lower ribs while practicing in Tokyo less than a week before discus qualifying. In the final, he set an Olympic record of 200–1 to win the third of his four gold medals.