DAY 9: Team Canada at Lima 2019
LIMA, PERU – Team Canada celebrates many firsts on Day 9. Mathea Olin earns Canada’s first Pan Am surfing medal, a bronze, in the women’s longboard event. Maggie Coles-Lyster and Miriam Brouwer capture silver in the inaugural Madison event (track cycling) while Keenan Simpson takes bronze during extreme slalom’s Pan Am debut. Next generation athlete Kelsey Mitchell caps off her impressive showing at Lima 2019 with a gold medal in women’s sprint (track cycling).
TEAM CANADA’S MEDAL COUNT:
GOLD: 19 | SILVER : 36 | BRONZE: 24 | TOTAL: 79
RESULTS: Team Canada’s competition results at Lima 2019.
SCHEDULE: Team Canada’s competition schedule at Lima 2019.
DAY 9 HIGHLIGHTS:
- Mathea Olin wins Canada’s first-ever Pan American Games medal in surfing (bronze – women’s longboard);
- Coles-Lyster and Brouwer win silver in the Madison – the event made its Pan American Games debut at Lima 2019;
- Meaghan Benfeito finishes her final career Pan American Games competition with a gold medal in women’s synchronized 10m platform;
- Lois Betteridge wins a silver medal in the Canoe/Kayak Women’s C1 – the event will make its debut at Tokyo 2020;
- Keenan Simpson wins Canada’s first-ever Pan Ams extreme slalom medal (bronze) – he leaves the Games as a two-time bronze medallist at Lima 2019;
- Katherine Uchida wins two silver medals in rhythmic gymnastics and will look to add to her tally on Day 10.
DAY 9 QUOTES OF THE DAY:
Philippe GAGNÉ (Bronze Medalist: Men’s 3m springboard / Silver Medalist: Men’s Synchronized 3m Springboard) on winning silver and bronze at this Games and what it means to him:
“I think these Games were to get my confidence back up after Gwangju, after what happened over there, I’m going to say it was terrible. So coming back here and be able to get a silver with Frankie and a bronze individual. I’m very, very happy.”
Kelsey MITCHELL (Gold Medalist: Cycling – Track – Women’s Sprint / Silver Medalist: Cycling – Track – Women’s Team Sprint) on how it feels to win gold only a year into competing in cycling:
“I can’t even explain it. It’s amazing, an incredible feeling that’s for sure. I’m pretty new, before this properly sixth place in the World Cup, before that it was winning the nationals, so I mean, I’m just slowly getting up to the top and soaking it all in.”
Kelsey MITCHELL (Gold Medalist: Cycling – Track – Women’s Sprint / Silver Medalist: Cycling – Track – Women’s Team Sprint) reflecting on her Pan Am experience:
“Since day one. I was so frustrated with not being good on the bike and I just want to be the best in the bike and I was just working and working everyone’s like trust the process, trust the process, trust the taper. And I mean, I trusted in and it’s all paid off, it’s working out.”
Keenan SIMPSON (Bronze Medalist: Canoe/Kayak – Slalom – Men’s K1 Extreme) on winning his first multi-sport Games medal:
“Before coming to this event I had no idea how inspired I would be by the multi-sport Games environment. This is the first time I’ve medalled at a major event and I’ve never been so proud to be Canadian as I have throughout this Pan Am games experience. It feels amazing to win this medal for Canada, and I hope to win another this afternoon. It will be something nice to think about while I’m training at odd hours, in freezing temperatures on the flat water beside my university.”
Lois BETTERIDGE (Silver Medallist – Canoe/Kayak – Women’s C1 Slalom) on women’s C1 being included in the Olympic program ahead of Tokyo 2020:
“Having the Olympics be a real dream that you can taste is huge because I started canoeing and I was right on the edge where it was the other Canadian girls really pushing to have canoe included. I grew up watching them race at worlds, but never have that opportunity to one day go to the Olympics, so for me, I’m super grateful that they were such pioneers in women’s canoe and now I have the opportunity to try to race to get to go to the Olympics.”
Mathea OLIN (Bronze Medallist: Surfing – Women’s Longboard) on how she feels about winning bronze:
“At the moment, I’m definitely a bit bothered by it. When I go home and look at the big picture though, I’ll be pretty happy. When you go out there with a plan and it doesn’t work out, it’s definitely tough. But I’m excited to go home and start working on my shortboarding.”
Dom DOMIC (Executive Director, Surf Canada)
On Mathea earning Canada’s first ever surfing medal at a multi-sport Games:
“To tell you the truth, Mathea isn’t even a longboarder so with her getting to the bronze battle, just shows how much of an athlete she is and a competitor that even in a discipline she doesn’t normally do, surfs a longboard a couple of times a year. She put up some great numbers. She’s going to look back at this experience and look at it with such a positive light, particularly when she’s going to be up on the podium. Once that bronze medal is hanging around her neck and she sees the Canadian flag behind her and she goes back home, it’s a bronze medal forever and a first time ever in the Games’ surfing history. Her name is on there forever so it’s just giving me chills just talking about that.”
Katherine UCHIDA (Silver Medalist: Rhythmic gymnastics – Women’s Individual Hoop / Silver Medalist: Rhythmic gymnastics – Women’s Individual Ball) on winning two silver medals today in rhythmic gymnastics (hoop and ball):
“I feel amazing. I was really disappointed after my performances in the all-around competition, so today, I was trying to forgive and forget, and that’s what I did, and I managed to rock out two solid routines and I was rewarded for that. Tomorrow I’m hoping for two clean routines, and the rest will fall in to place on its own. I just want performances I can be happy with.”
RESOURCES:
ALL QUOTES: Team Canada’s flash quotes at Lima 2019. (live updates)
PHOTOS: Submit a request for editorial photos at images.olympic.ca.
LIMA BY THE NUMBERS: Statistics on select sports at Lima 2019.
VISIT: Olympic.ca/press-resources/ for other information.
FOLLOW: @TeamCanadaPR for live medal alerts.
TOKYO 2020: Olympic qualification for Tokyo 2020 at Lima 2019.
TEAM CANADA TRIVIA:
Q. At the 2015 Pan American Games every members of the track cycling team won at least one medal. How many members were there?
A. 14
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Josh Su, Media Relations Lead
Canadian Olympic Committee
Peru: +51 1 920 259 209
WhatsApp: 647-464-4060
E: jsu@olympic.ca