Petro-Canada awards 2019 FACE program grants to 55 Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls
On Saturday, Petro-Canada announced the 55 athlete-coach pairs who will each receive $10,000 in funding for the next year.
The Fuelling Athlete and Coaching Excellence (FACE) program grants are awarded to athletes who are striving to represent Canada at Tokyo 2020 and future Olympic and Paralympic Games but do not yet qualify for government funding. The funds are used for training, equipment, coach education and competition travel expenses.
Since 1988, more than 3000 Canadian athletes and their coaches have been helped with over $11 million in financial support. This year’s class includes 42 aspiring Olympians and 13 aspiring Paralympians, 29 of which are female and 26 are male.
There are 22 summer and 8 winter Olympic sports represented, along with 13 para sports. Here’s a look at some of those athletes:
Amelie Kretz
Amelie Kretz leads the pack during the running portion of a ITU Triathlon World Cup. (ITU Media)
Rio Olympian Amelie Kretz will be looking to head to her second consecutive Olympic Games. The Quebec native has been competing in the ITU World Cup Series, individually and also in the mixed relay races. Canada’s best finish in the mixed relay this year was at the Nottingham stop in June, where Kretz and her teammates finished in fourth. Mixed team relay is a new triathlon event for Tokyo 2020.
Annie Guglia
Annie Guglia is aiming to represent Canada at Tokyo 2020 in skateboarding, one of four sports making their Olympic debut. The two-time Canadian champion will have the chance to qualify for the Olympic Games at the 2020 World Skateboarding Championships in May 2020.
Jessica Zi Jia Guo
LIMA, Peru – Jessica Zi Jia Guo, left, and Eleanor Grace Harvey of Team Canada pose with their medals after the women’s fencing foil finals at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games on August 05, 2019. Photo by Christopher Morris/COC
Fencer Jessica Zi Jia Guo competed at Lima 2019, winning silver in the women’s individual foil event. Late last year, she won her first FIE World Cup event in December 2018 in Havana, Cuba. At the 2019 Pan American Junior Championships, she won foil gold, conceding only 20 touches in her five matches.
Jordan Stewart
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0mgnMghy5F/
Jordan Stewart also competed at Lima 2019, finishing in the top 8. He finished 9th at the 2019 World Taekwondo Championships. He started the 2019 season with podium finishes at the Dominican, Belgian, and Puerto Rico Opens.
Many past recipients of FACE went on to fulfill their Olympic dreams, including Kaitlyn Lawes, Rosie MacLennan, John Morris and Alex Bilodeau.
You can find the complete list of this year’s FACE recipients below.
| Athlete Name | Sport |
|---|---|
| Danik Allard | Boccia |
| Alexandre Arencibia | Judo |
| Kyle Barber | Para Cross-Country |
| Tess Beasant | Para Alpine Skiing |
| Nicholas Bennett | Para Swimming |
| Lyne-Marie Bilodeau | Para Cross-Country |
| Trevor Boyd | Canoe/Kayak – Slalom |
| Jaden Chipman | Cycling – BMX |
| Kerrian Chipman | Freestyle Skiing |
| Skye Clarke | Freestyle Skiing |
| Sarah Anne Cormier | Para Snowboard |
| Sophie Crane | Gymnastics – Rhythmic |
| Jaime Czarkowski | Artistic Swimming |
| Emily Dickson | Biathlon |
| Aurélie Dickson | Athletics |
| Nikita Ens | Para Swimming |
| Agnes Esser | Athletics |
| Lyle Fernandes | Hockey (Field) |
| Annie Guglia | Skateboarding |
| Jessica Zi Jia Guo | Fencing |
| Matt Hamilton | Para Snowboard |
| Amelie Kretz | Triathlon |
| Collin Lalonde | Wheelchair Basketball |
| Anne-Sophie Lavoie-Parent | Canoe/Kayak – Sprint |
| Taylor Leanne | Para Triathlon |
| Alexandria Loutitt | Ski Jumping |
| Cameron Low | Canoe/Kayak – Sprint |
| Olivia Meier | Para Badminton |
| Jaiden Miller | Water Polo |
| Louise Munro | Rowing |
| Matti Muru | Sailing |
| Andrea Nelson | Para Canoe |
| Jess Neufeld | Speed Skating |
| Talia Ng | Badminton |
| Ryan O’Neil | Karate |
| Nicolas Perreault | Short Track Skating |
| Riley Pickrell | Cycling – Track |
| Mariessa Pinto | Archery |
| Aleksa Rakic | Figure Skating |
| Colette Reimer | Triathlon |
| Olivier Rioux | Basketball |
| Josh Samells | Cycling – BMX |
| Nandini Sharma | Para Athletics |
| Dejah Slater | Wrestling – Freestyle |
| Tom Stephen | Cross Country Skiing |
| Jordan Stewart | Taekwondo |
| Matthew Strum | Biathlon |
| Rachel Tam | Gymnastics – Trampoline |
| Kalum Temple | Surfing |
| Benjamin Tessier | Diving |
| Stephane Tremblay | Ski Jumping |
| Magdeleine Vallieres Mill | Cycling – Road |
| Kevin Van Der Kooi | Bobsleigh |
| Wendy Zhang | Badminton |
| Benita Zhou | Table Tennis |
