Canada’s Santiago 2023 shooting team announced

TORONTO (September 22, 2023) – Shooting Federation of Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee have announced Canada’s shooting team nominated to compete at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.

The Team Canada shooting team for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games is:

Athletes:
Lindsay Boddez (Stony Plain, Alta.)
Madeleine Boyd (Puslinch, Ont.)
Trystan Curran-Routledge  (Calgary, Alta.)
Colin Grover (Victoria, B.C.)
Elizabeth Gustafson (Saddle Hills County, Alta.)
Tye Ikeda (Calgary, Alta.)
Lynda Kiejko (Calgary, Alta.)
Audrey-Anne Le Sieur (Trois-Rivières, Que.)
Richard McBride (Saskatoon, Sask.)
Turgrul Ozer (Toronto, Ont.)
Madeline Scola (Mississauga, Ont.)
Gregory Sych (Kitchener, Ont. )
Shannon Westlake (Keswick, Ont.)
Yanka Vasileva (Candiac, Que.)

Team Canada qualified spots for Santiago 2023 at the Continental Championships (CAT) held in Lima, Peru in November 2022. The athletes were selected for Team Canada based on their performances throughout the qualification period of November 2022 to August 25, 2023. Seven of the 14 athletes will make their Pan American Games debuts at Santiago 2023.

Two-time Olympian Lynda Kiejko will return to the Pan American Games after having won gold in both the 10m air pistol and 25m pistol events on home soil at Toronto 2015 which qualified her for Rio 2016 – her first Olympic Games. Although Kiejko was the top-ranked Canadian athlete in her event in 2019, she had to miss Lima 2019 while awaiting the arrival of her third child. Kiejko was Team Canada’s lone shooting athlete at Tokyo 2020, 57 years after her father, the late Bill Hare, competed for Team Canada at the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games. Kiejko also served as coach to her sister, Dorothy Ludwig, who competed in women’s pistol at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

“I am thrilled to be named to my third Pan American Games,” said Kiejko. “My family has a long history in shooting sports and I am excited and privileged to be continuing that story. Representing my country at the Games is always such an honour, and I wear the maple leaf with great pride to represent shooting sports on behalf of Canada.”

Lindsay Boddez returns to the Pan Am Games after having last competed at the multi-sport event at Guadalajara 2011 where she won a silver medal in women’s trap. Boddez recently shot her personal best score at the 2023 ISSF World Championships this past August to finish 16th in women’s trap.

“I am honoured to be able to represent Canada,” said Boddez. “It’s been 12 years since I last competed at the Pan Am Games. I am looking forward to building on my recent Worlds performance and I am excited to compete with such a great and strong shooting team.”

Tye Ikeda will make his Pan Am Games debut in Santiago. Ikeda, a recipient of the Canadian Olympic Foundation’s 2023 Future Olympians Fund award, cites the support as being instrumental in propelling him towards Santiago 2023 and further to Paris 2024.

“It’s been a great year of training, competition and building our shooting team,” said Ikeda. “With the support of the Future Olympians Fund program, I have been working hard to get to this level of competition and I’m looking forward to competing for Canada at the Pan Am Games”. 

The Santiago 2023 Pan American Games are a pivotal part of Team Canada’s path to Paris 2024 with the team vying for Olympic quota spots. 

Shooting will take place October 21 to 27 (Days 1 to 7) at the Polígono de Tiro, Pudahuel.

“It’s an honor to welcome the shooting team at the Pan Am Games, where we take ‘hitting the mark’ to a whole new level,” said Christine Girard, Team Canada’s Santiago 2023 Chef de Mission. “With sights set on the podium, Team Canada is ready to hit their targets!”

Team Canada’s shooting team alternate athlete, coaches and support staff for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games are:

Michele Esercitato (Calgary, Alta.) – Alternate athlete (non-travelling)
Lisa Borgerson (Fort Qu’Appelle, Sask.) – National Pistol Coach
Florin Marinache (Burlington, Ont.) – National Shotgun Coach
Dave Woolridge (St. John’s, Nfld.) – National Rifle Coach
Chloe Gagnon (St-Joseph-du-Lac, Que.) – Mental Performance Coach

Prior to being named to Team Canada, all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Team Selection Committee following its receipt of nominations by all National Sport Organisations.

The latest Team Canada Santiago 2023 roster can be found here.

-30-

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Jasmine Northcott, Chief Executive Officer
Shooting Federation of Canada
C:  613-371-4025
E: jnorthcott@sfc-ftc.ca

Tara MacBournie, Team Canada Santiago 2023 Sport Communications Lead
Canadian Olympic Committee
C: 647-522-8328
E: tmacbournie@olympic.ca