Canadian archery team nominated for Rio 2016
TORONTO — On Wednesday, Archery Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee named the two athletes nominated to represent Team Canada in the men’s and women’s archery competitions at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The two athletes selected are two-time Olympian Crispin Duenas and Georcy-Stéphanie Thiffeault Picard. Duenas earned an Olympic spot for Canada at the 2015 World Championships and was chosen at the conclusion of Archery Canada men’s selection process on June 22, 2016. Thiffeault Picard earned a spot for Canada at the continental Olympic qualifying tournament in Medellin, Colombia on May 9, 2016 and was selected by Archery Canada on June 8, 2016.
At the 2013 World Archery Championship, in a field of 145 athletes from 62 countries, Duenas captured the bronze medal in the men’s recurve bow (Olympic) category. The medal marked the first time in 42 years that Canada had finished on a world championship podium in the men’s individual recurve category.
The team is coached by five-time Olympic archery coach, Joan McDonald of Richmond Hill, Ontario.
The men’s and women’s individual archery competitions at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will take place in the famous Sambodromo, the annual host venue for the Rio Carnival Samba Parade, from August 5 to 12.
Archery is an exciting sport to watch as athletes shoot in head-to-head competition at a target placed 70 metres from the shooting line. The centre ring is only 12.2cm in diameter and is worth 10 points. A match consists of five sets of three arrows each. The archer who scores the highest in each set is awarded two points. If archers tie in a set, they are each awarded one point. The first archer to reach six points wins the match. If the match is tied after five sets, the archers will each shoot a single arrow. The archer’s arrow that is closest to the centre wins the match.
At Rio 2016, Canada expects to field a team of more than 315 athletes.
Archery Canada is the National Sport Organization responsible for the promotion and development of the timeless sport of archery in a safe and ethical manner. Archery Canada supports the achievement of high performance excellence in archery in all categories and the development of a national archery infrastructure to promote archery participation across Canada in cooperation with the Provincial/Territorial Archery Associations.
QUOTES
“I feel very lucky to have been named to my third Olympic team. All the hard work I have been committed to for the past four years has cumulated in another chance for me to show the world that Canada produces world-class athletes in all sports. My success was not without the help of my high performance team: my coach, Joan McDonald; sport psychologist, Peter Jensen; High Performance Advisor, Alan Brahmst; physiologist, Jason Vescovi; nutritionist, Melissa Kazan; and my support at Archery Canada – Scott Ogilvie and Christine Robertson. I also would like to thank the Canadian Olympic Committee, the International Olympic Committee, Own the Podium, Quest for Gold, and the CAN Fund for their continuing support through financial means. Thanks to my family, friends, teammates, and sponsors for supporting me. See you in Rio!”
Crispin Duenas, two-time Olympian, Archery
“I am thrilled to take part in my first Olympic Games this summer. As a child, I watched the Olympics on television and dreamed of one day competing in the Games. I have never been stronger physically or mentally and am training hard with my coaches and high performance team in final preparations for Rio. I would like to thank my coaches Richard Tone and Sylvain Cadieux for their dedication to my training and my psychologist, Jacques Forest for his guidance as I remain focused on my Olympic goals. I would also like to thank Archery Canada for their ongoing encouragement and support and Sport Canada & CAN Fund for their financial commitment that permits me to focus on my training in preparation for the Games. Thank you to Win&Win, Easton, Shibuya, Shootoff, and StringsPRB, for providing me with the best equipment possible and to Air Canada for travel assistance. I would like to thank my parents, friends, and boyfriend for their love, faith, encouragement, and support as my dream is about to come true.”
Georcy-Stéphanie Thiffeault Picard, Rio 2016 athlete, Archery
“Crispin has been Canada’s undisputed top archer for a while now and the nomination today comes as no surprise. He embodies every trait you would want in a winner and we are incredibly proud to have him representing us in Rio. Georcy is new to the team and has shown true determination, grit and skill and I have no doubt she will make Canada proud. Congratulations Crispin and Georcy, all of Canada is behind you.”
Curt Harnett, Rio 2016 Team Canada Chef de Mission
“This will be Georcy’s first Olympic Games and she has shown a significant evolution in her ability to compete with the top archers in the world. In working with her coaches and her performance team, we are now solely focused on ensuring that Georcy is prepared to the best of her ability for making an impact in Rio.”
Joan McDonald, National Recurve Coach, Archery Canada
“For Crispin, these will be his third Olympic Games. We have focused on the finer details of performance in his training and competition plans. Crispin has been to the podium at a world championship and he knows what is required to get to the podium in Rio. At this point, Crispin and his team are just focused on implementing the final pieces of the puzzle for him to perform at his best in Rio.”
Alan Brahmst, High Performance Advisor, Archery Canada
“With today’s announcement of the two archers who will represent Canada at the Olympic Games, we are one step closer to Rio. I encourage all Canadians – 35 million strong – to join Team Canada in cheering on our archers as they vie for the podium.”
The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities
The archery team which will represent Canada at Rio 2016 includes:
Athletes:
| First | Last | Hometown | Event |
| Crispin | Duenas | Scarborough, ON | Men’s Individual |
| Georcy-Stéphanie | Thiffeault Picard | Montreal, QC | Women’s Individual |
Coach:
| Position | First | Last | Hometown |
| Coach | Joan | McDonald | Richmond Hill, ON |
Prior to being named to the final Canadian Rio 2016 Team, all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Team Selection Committee following its receipt of nominations by all National Sport Federations.