Canadian Roundup: Record performances, championship podiums, Olympic qualifying
Whether they were competing against world-class competitors close to home or halfway across the globe, Team Canada athletes did the maple leaf proud this past weekend.
Here are the details on some best-ever performances in the pool, a world championship medal on the diamond, Olympic spots secured, and continued World Cup success:
Swimming
Team Canada’s Kylie Masse, center, celebrates on the podium after winning the women’s 100m backstroke final with second-placed Emily Seebohm, left, of Australia, and third-placed Kathleen Baker of the U.S., during the Pan Pacific swimming championships in Tokyo, Friday, Aug.10, 2018.(AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
READ: Ruck swims record time to defeat reigning Olympic champion
READ: Ruck sets new Canadian record, Masse selected as Pan Pacific MVP
READ: Masse wins gold on three-medal night for Team Canada at Pan Pacs
READ: Pickrem wins silver at Pan Pacific Championships
Team Canada is coming home from Tokyo with eight medals won at the Pan Pacific Championships. Taylor Ruck contributed to five of those, the most ever won by a Canadian swimmer in the history of the meet. Her haul included 200m freestyle gold, 200m backstroke silver, and 100m freestyle bronze as well as a pair of bronze medals in the 4x100m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relays. Kylie Masse was named the female swimmer of the meet following her win in the 100m backstroke. Sydney Pickrem picked up a silver in the 200m individual medley and Yuri Kisil put the men on the podium as well, earning 50m freestyle bronze for his first individual international medal.
Athletics
Gold winner Brandon McBride, left, and silver winner Marco Arop, both of Canada, pose with the Canadian flag following the men’s 800m during the NACAC Championships in Toronto, Saturday, August 11, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Blinch
READ: Eight medals for Canada on final day of NACAC Championships
READ: Canada wins nine medals on second day of NACAC Championships
READ: Four medals for Canada on first day of NACAC Championships
Canadian athletes made the most of competing in front of a home crowd in Toronto, winning 21 medals at the NACAC Championships. Among the highlight performances: Evan Dunfee won gold in the men’s 20km race walk; Brandon McBride and Marco Arop finished 1-2 in the men’s 800m; Aaron Brown won 200m silver and anchored the men’s 4x100m relay team to gold; Crystal Emmanuel won three medals (200m silver, 100m bronze, 4x100m relay bronze).
Softball
READ: Canadian women win bronze at the World Softball Championship
Team Canada established itself as one to watch when softball returns to the Olympic Games at Tokyo 2020, winning the bronze medal at the Women’s Softball World Championship in Chiba, Japan. The Canadians finished the tournament with an 8-3 record. The United States defeated the host nation in the final to lock up their Olympic qualification. Team Canada will have another shot at booking their ticket to Tokyo 2020 next summer.
Sailing
In the first opportunity to qualify for Tokyo 2020, Canada has earned two Olympic sailing spots at the Sailing World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark. Thanks to Tom Ramshaw‘s fifth-place finish in the Finn class and Sarah Douglas’ sixth place finish in the Laser Radial class, Canada will have boats on the start line for both of those events in two years time. Canada can still earn Olympic spots in other events at various competitions in 2019 and 2020.
Mountain Bike
Emily Batty thrilled the home crowd in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec by winning the bronze medal in Sunday’s cross-country race at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. This is Batty’s third straight medal on the circuit, helping her to move into fourth place in the World Cup standings. Just one more stop remains in two weeks time in La Bresse, France, which will be followed by the world championships in early September.
Judo
Kelita Zupancic competes in the -70kg class on August 11, 2018 at the Judo Grand Prix in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo: IJF/Sabau Gabriela)
READ: Guica and Deguchi win bronze at Judo Grand Prix in Budapest
READ: Zupancic and Margelidon finish third in Budapest
Canadian judokas won four bronze medals at this weekend’s Grand Prix event in Budapest. For the first time this year, Christa Deguchi did not stand atop the 57kg podium, but she still finished third in the weight class. Ecaterina Guica (52kg), Kelita Zupancic (70kg), and Arthur Margelidon (73kg) also posted third-place finishes.
