Six athletes supported by Petro-Canada FACE Program head to Youth Olympic Games
When Team Canada marches into the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina next month, six athletes will be fuelled by the support of Petro-Canada’s Fuelling Athlete and Coaching Excellence (FACE) program.
Every year, Petro-Canada selects fifty-five promising athletes from across Canada. These athletes and their coaches are awarded a $10,000 Petro-Canada FACE™ Program grant to help them along their journey, with $5,000 going directly to the athlete and $5,000 to their coach. FACE grants are often used for training, equipment, coach education, and travel expenses for competitions.
17-year-old Edmonton, Alberta native, Jane Caulfield, is a 2018 FACE recipient and will represent Canada in Buenos Aires in fencing. Caulfield has already had strong results on the international stage, most recently finishing seventh in Junior Women’s Foil at the 2018 Junior & Cadet World Fencing Championships in April.
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2018 FACE recipient, Natalie Garcia, is a rhythmic gymnast on her way to her first Youth Olympic Games. Garcia won five medals at the 2018 Junior Pan American Championships, including a silver in the all-around competition.
16-year-old artistic gymnast, Félix Dolci, received a FACE grant in 2017. Dolci is hoping to replicate the success he had when he last competed for Canada in Buenos Aires at the 2018 Junior Pan Am Championship. He finished third in the all-around at that competition and won five medals.
16-year-old Brian Yang, a 2017 FACE recipient, is headed to the Youth Olympic Games to represent Canada in badminton. In April, Yang advanced to the quarterfinal of the 2018 Pan Am Individual Championships in men’s singles and is looking to build on that success in Buenos Aires.
Bryden Hattie, a diving athlete from Victoria, British Columbia, finished sixth in 3m springboard at the 2018 Junior World Championships. He knows how much the Petro-Canada FACE program has helped him on his path to Buenos Aires 2018 and beyond. Hattie told CBC Sports, “For me on a personal level the (Petro-Canada) FACE grant has given me the opportunity to work harder towards my goals”.
2018 FACE recipient, Ben Lee, will be the only Canadian competing in the archery competition at Buenos Aires 2018, having secured his spot in May with an impressive second place finish in men’s cadet recurve at the American Continental Qualifier.
Buenos Aires 2018 kicks off with the Opening Ceremony on October 6th followed by 12 days of competition and the Closing Ceremony on October 18th.
