Canada’s Santiago 2023 surfing team announced

TORONTO (October 4, 2023) – Surf Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee have announced Canada’s surfing team nominated to compete at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.

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

Athletes
Lina Augaitis (Coldstream, BC) – 14′ SUP Race
Michael Darbyshire (North Vancouver, BC) – 14′ SUP Race
Sanoa Dempfle-Olin (Tofino, BC) – Shortboard
Finn Spencer (Paia, Maui) – SUP Surf
Catherine Temple (Tofino, BC) – SUP Surf
Liv Stokes (Aliso Viejo, California) – Longboard
Cody Young (Makawao, Hawaii) – Shortboard

Lina Augaitis, Michael Darbyshire, Sanoa Dempfle-Olin, Finn Spencer and Catherine Temple all qualified for Santiago 2023 based on their results at the 2023 PASA Pan American Surfing Games that took place April 21-30 in Santa Catalina, Panama. Olivia Stokes and Cody Young qualified based on their results at the 2023 ISA World Longboard Championships and the 2023 ISA World Surfing Games, respectively. 

Team Canada had its best-ever performance at the Pan American Surfing Games this past spring, placing fourth as a team thanks to six top-four finishes. Canada qualified its seven surfing spots for Santiago 2023 at those Pan American Surfing Games.

Stokes, who will make her Pan American Games debut, had a successful 2023 Pan American Surfing Games where she won a silver medal in longboard. She followed that performance up at the 2023 ISA World Longboard Championships where she officially secured her spot in Santiago.

“Going into Santiago 2023, I’m super stoked about that,” said Stokes. “I tried to qualify for Lima back in 2019 but I unfortunately was knocked out in the first round and that was really hard for me. So it’s been really good knowing that all my hard work paid off. I’m excited for the future.”

Augaitis, Darbyshire, Spencer, Temple and Young will all make their second appearance at the multi-sport Games after having competed in surfing’s Pan Am Games debut at Lima 2019. They look to build on their performances at the PASA Pan American Surfing Games, where Spencer won gold and Augaitis, Stokes, and Young all won silver in their respective events.

In surfing’s inaugural Pan American Games at Lima 2019, Team Canada athlete Mathea Dempfle-Olin, sister of Sanoa Dempfle-Olin, won a bronze medal in women’s longboard. Surfing was first included on the Olympic program at Tokyo 2020 with women’s and men’s shortboard events, but those Games did not feature any Canadian athletes. The shortboard surfing events will feature again at Paris 2024 and will be contested in Teahupo’o, Tahiti. At Santiago 2023, the men’s and women’s gold medallists in the shortboard events will qualify by name to Paris 2024. If either of the gold medallists is already qualified or their NOC has already filled its quota, the next highest-ranked eligible athlete will earn the qualification.

“We are very encouraged by these results and what this team has accomplished, particularly in surpassing our targeted goals and qualifying seven surfers to the Pan American Games in Santiago, which provides direct qualification opportunities to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games for shortboard surfers,” said Dom Domic, Executive Director of the Canadian Surfing Team.

Surfing will take place October 24 to 30 (Day 4 to 10) in Punta de Lobos, Pichilemu.

“I’m thrilled to welcome these seven surfers to Team Canada for Santiago 2023! With Paris 2024 qualification on the line in the men’s and women’s shortboard events, and the talent of this team as a whole, I can’t wait to witness the exciting things this team will get up to in Punta de Lobos,” said Christine Girard, Team Canada’s Santiago 2023 Chef de Mission.

Team Canada’s surfing team coaches and support staff for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games are:

Alison Beaton (Lawrencetown, N.S.) – Physiotherapist
Shannon Brown (Tofino, B.C.) – Coach
Dom Domic (Victoria, BC) – Team Manager
Alexander Sears (Huntington Beach, California) – Strength and Conditioning

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.

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MEDIA CONTACTS:

Dom Domic, Executive Director
Surf Canada
C: 604-721-4045
E: dom.domic@csasurfcanada.org

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