5 Team Canada things to watch this weekend: June 2-4
On this first weekend of June, fans will want to keep an eye on a few competitions where Team Canada athletes have the potential to deliver promising results.
Some athletes are currently participating in the biggest international event of their sports. Such is the case for the Canadian women’s 3×3 basketball team who are in action at the FIBA 3×3 World Cup and for Canadian surfers who will be riding the waves at the World Surfing Games.
This weekend also marks the end of a few competition series. Canadian equestrians will have the opportunity to compete on home soil in Langley, B.C. where the final event of the FEI Jumping Nations Cup for their region takes place and the country’s top artistic swimmers will be in the water at the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup Super Final. Meanwhile, it is just the start of the international season for Canadian slalom paddlers who will compete in their first ICF World Cup.
Here are five sports to watch in the coming days.
3×3 Basketball
The Canadian women’s team, composed of Katherine Plouffe, Michelle Plouffe, Paige Crozon, and Kacie Bosch, is in action at the FIBA 3×3 World Cup taking place in Vienna, Austria until Sunday.
This Canadian quartet had an impressive showing at last year’s World Cup. In Canada’s first-ever participation in the event that has been running for 10 years, they brought home the silver medal. They built on that success by capturing the title at the 2022 FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series Final after winning three tournaments during the regular season.
With a record of three wins and one loss and a total of 76 points scored, Canada finished the round robin portion of the tournament at the top of Group C. That qualifies them directly into the quarterfinals scheduled for Saturday evening. The United States and Czech Republic, who each earned three wins as well but scored fewer points, will be in playoff play-in games.
The semifinals and medal matches will all take place on Sunday. All matches will be broadcast live on YouTube.
Surfing
Six athletes are representing Canada at the ISA World Surfing Games in Surf City, El Salvador. Mathea Olin, Sanoa Olin, and Erin Brooks are competing in the women’s event, while Wheeler Hasburgh, Cody Young, and Levi Young are participating in the men’s event. The shortboard competitions (which is what is on the Olympic program) began on Wednesday and will continue until June 7. The World Surfing Games are a qualification event for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.
In each round, athletes are divided into heats of three or four surfers. The top two in each heat advance to the next round. The tournament is in double elimination format, so any surfer eliminated from the main bracket continues competing in the repechage rounds where they face final elimination if they don’t place in the top two in their heat.
The competition is being broadcast live on the International Surfing Association (ISA) website.
Artistic Swimming
The World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup Super Final is taking place in Oviedo, Spain until Sunday. The team and duet events that are part of the Olympic program will be showcased, along with non-Olympic solo and acrobatic events.
The Canadian team this weekend consists of Sydney Carroll, Laurianne Imbeau, Audrey Lamothe, Jonnie Newman, Raphaëlle Plante, Kenzie Priddell, Kiara Quieti, Claire Scheffel, Florence Tremblay, and Olena Verbinska.
Lamothe is entered in the solo technical and free events on Friday and Saturday. Newman and Priddell are in the duet technical and free on Saturday and Sunday. The team technical is on Friday, followed by the team free on Saturday. The acrobatic event will close out competition on Sunday.
In World Cup competition, medals are awarded separately for the technical and free programs, whereas at the Olympic Games, both programs are combined to determine final results.
After this, the Canadian swimmers will continue training in preparation for the World Aquatics Championships, scheduled to take place in Fukuoka, Japan, at the end of July. Then the focus will turn to the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games this fall where quota spots for Paris 2024 will be at stake.
Equestrian – Jumping
The third and final event of the FEI Jumping Nations Cup for the North/Central America and Caribbean region will take place on Canadian soil on Sunday, June 4. The Canadian team, consisting of Olympians Mario Deslauriers, Tiffany Foster, and Amy Millar, as well as Erynn Ballard and Kara Chad, will be in action at Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, British Columbia.
Currently in third place in the overall series standings, the Canadian team will strive to move up into the top two to qualify for the FEI Jumping Nations Cup Final scheduled for late September. The winning team there will qualify for Paris 2024, but Canada will also have an opportunity to secure Olympic qualification at the Pan Am Games this fall in Santiago.
Canoe/Kayak Slalom
It’s the start of the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup season. The first stop of the circuit is taking place in Augsburg, Germany until Sunday. Seven Canadian athletes will be in action: Florence Maheu, Lois Betteridge, Léa Baldoni, Alex Baldoni, Trevor Boyd, Mael Rivard, and Daniel Parry.
The finals of the women’s and men’s kayak slalom events will take place on Friday, while the finals of the two canoe events will be held on Saturday. The women’s and men’s kayak cross events, which will be part of the Olympic program for the first time at Paris 2024, are scheduled for Sunday.
