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The Canadian Press

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BEIJING - Canada's march to the podium was interrupted on Wednesday, as a light day of finals and some disappointing results ended the country's four-day medal streak.

The Canadian softball team challenged a strong Australian team in semifinal action before falling 5-3.

Ivett Gonda, considered a medal hopeful in taekwondo, lost her first bout in the preliminaries.

And Marie-Pier Boudreau Gagnon and Isabelle Rampling finished sixth in the women's synchro swimming duet final.

So Canada will stay at 13 medals - two gold, six silver and five bronze - for another day.

Canada will have plenty of chances to add to that total over the final few days of the Games. On Thursday, diver Emilie Heymans of Greenfield Park, Que., could reach the podium in the women's platform. Heymans finished Wednesday's preliminary round in third place, easily qualifying for the semifinals.

Sam Cools of Airdrie, Alta., is among the favourites in women's BMX biking, which is making its Olympic debut in Beijing.

Star kayaker Adam van Koeverden of Oakville, Ont., races in finals on Friday and Saturday and has looked dangerous in the heats, even breaking the world record in the 500 metres.

Mountain biker Marie-Helene Premont of Chateau-Richer, Que., was a silver medallist at the last Olympics and is among the gold-medal favourites this time around. Catharine Pendrel of Harvey Station, ranked right behind Premont on the world circuit all sesaon, is also competing at the games and has legitimate medal hopes. The mountain bike race comes up on Friday.

In taekwondo, world champion Karine Sergerie of Sainte-Catherine, Que., is favoured for gold in the 67-kilogram class Friday.

Canada has already surpassed its medal count from the Athens Games four years ago and is only one medal back of its total from the 2000 Games in Sydney.

Gonda wasn't feeing good after her loss.

The Port Moody, B.C., native and coach Shin Wook Lim thought her result, a 2-0 loss to Hanna Zajc of Sweden in the 49-kilogram class, was affected by unfair judging.

Lim suggested that Chinese judge Zhao Lei may have been stingy with points for Gonda because she would have faced Chinese world champion Wu Jingyu in the next round. Wu went on to easily beat Zajc en route to the gold medal.

"I can't say for sure but she made a point but (didn't receive) a point," Lim said. "Must be the machine's broken, I don't know. Other coaches were surprised. It's not only coming from me emotionally."

They launched a protest with the hopes of a rematch before the start of the afternoon session but it was unsuccessful.

Boudreau Gagnon, from Riviere-du-Loup, Que., and Rampling, from Burlington, Ont., had 95.333 points after their routine. Russians Anastasia Davydova and Anastasia Ermakova repeated as Olympic champions with 99.251 points.