Amelie Kretz runningTommy Zaferes/ITU Media
Tommy Zaferes/ITU Media

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.

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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.

Learn more about FACE here

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

Female triathletes run past spectators (left) and a row of bikes (in front of spectators).

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

Jessica (left) and Eleanor hold up their gold and bronze medals

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

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