Sport Shorts: Medals Everywhere
Wealth of Medals in Delhi: Canada is enjoying another successful Commonwealth Games, filled with highlight performances and a long list of medals. Through Tuesday, Oct. 12, Canada has won 73 medals – 25 gold, 16 silver and 32 bronze. We sit 4th in the overall medal count. The Games wrap up this Thursday, and Olympic.ca will feature a look back at some of the standout moments from the Games.
Equestrian, Elegance, Excellence: Canadians continue to excel in one of the most elegant sports in the world down in Lexington, Kentucky. At the World Equestrian Games, Canada’s eventing team captured the silver medal – qualifying them for the 2012 Olympic Games. The riders: Hawley Bennett-Awad, Kyle Carter, Selena O’Hanlon and Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch. Also earning a medal was 2008 Olympic champion Eric Lamaze, who claimed bronze despite competing with a broken bone in his foot. Meanwhile, Canada’s show jumping team finished 5th, also a London 2012 qualification. The riders: Yann Candele, Eric Lamaze, Jonathon Millar and John Pearce. Canada’s driving team (Debbie Laderoute and Darryl Billing) finished 6th.
Trampoline Silver: Rosannagh MacLennan – whose routine has one of the highest degrees of difficulty in the world – won a silver medal in trampoline at a World Cup on Saturday. The 2008 Olympian said she attempts to stay aggressive because she finds it easier to control her routine. The World Championships run in Metz, France in November.
Judokas Claim Hardware: At a women’s World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, over the weekend, Kelita Zupancic won gold in the -70 kg division with a perfect 3-0 record. Olympians Amy Cotton and Marylise Lévesque reached the podium as well, winning silver in -78 kg and bronze in -78 kg respectively. At a men’s World Cup meet in Minsk, Belarus, Canadian Sergio Pessoa finished 3-1 and comes home with a bronze medal in -60 kg. Next up is a major Grand Prix event in Rotterdam.
On to the Pan Am Games: Canada’s national baseball team has secured a berth in the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. They did so courtesy of a 14-6 victory over Puerto Rico, which earned them 5th place at the qualification tournament in Puerto Rico.
Snowboarders Kick Off: The snowboard season began in Landgraaf, NED over the weekend with a parallel slalom World Cup. Top Canadians were Caroline Calvé (Aylmer, Que.) in 19th and Michael Lambert (Toronto) in 22nd spot.
Gingras Retires: Canada’s current dual moguls champion has announced his retirement. Maxime Gingras (St. Hippolyte, Que.) is hanging up his competitive skis after a fine performance at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and a 6th-place overall finish on the World Cup circuit. He has won four World Cup medals in his career. “The main thing I will miss is the boys and the team spirit that we had,” he said.
Roberge Bids Adieu: François-Olivier Roberge (St-Nicolas, Que.) has announced his retirement from the Canadian speed skating team. Speed skating since the age of eight, Roberge went on to become a two-time Olympian in 2006 and 2010. He collected three silver medals at the World Junior Championships and competed in many World Championships and World Cups. “Speed skating has been a huge part of my life, and it helped define me as a person,” Roberge said.
