Canada falls short at Aussie Games
Team falls far short of triple-digit goal at Commonwealth Games
While Canada fell well short of its goal of 100-plus medals at the Commonwealth Games, team officials say the true test of the Gold Coast Games will come two years from now at the Tokyo Olympics.
Lessons learned in Australia should pay off in 2020, said Canadian chef de mission Claire CarverDias.
“It’s intelligence,” said Carver-Dias, a former synchronized swimmer who won medals at the Olympic, Commonwealth and Pan American Games. “You’re gathering data.
“And people underestimate the Commonwealth Games,” she said.
“We’re chronically underfunded, but it’s listed as a milestone in the performance pathway and athletes keep saying these games are important. It’s a checkpoint. Olympians are going to benefit from being here.”
Carver-Dias’s words are undoubtedly true.
But like the Commonwealth itself, questions about the relevance of the so-called Friendly Games seems to grow every four years.
Supporters point to the games’ inclusivity, with gender medal equality and para-events as part of the program. They also noted the games’ reconciliation plan with Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
After some bold talk of a tripledigit medal haul, Canada had to wait until the final day of competition to match its total of 82 from four years ago in Glasgow.
A poor finale by the Canadian women’s rugby sevens team Sunday meant a possible medal No. 83 — a bronze — would instead go to England.
Thanks in part to an unexpected men’s basketball silver, Canada finished with 15 gold, 40 silver and 27 bronze.
While the total medals did not change from Glasgow, the number of golds plummeted from 31 to 15.
Canada finished third in total medals behind Australia’s 198, including 80 gold, and England’s 136, 45 of which were gold.
But it was fourth when it came to golds with India, which had 66 total medals and 16 golds.
Track and field, not helped by the late withdrawal of sprinter Andre De Grasse, was down to 13 medals from 17. A young rhythmic gymnastics team won two medals, down from six in 2014.
Wrestling was down from 12 to 10 with head coach Tonya Verbeek seeing a need to revamp some things after a few spotty performances.
But led by 17-year-old Taylor Ruck’s eight medals, including a gold and five silvers, swimming won 20 medals compared to 11 in Glasgow.
Boxing produced six medals, double the output four years ago.
When Damian Warner stumbled in the decathlon, Pierce LePage stepped up to the podium. Haley Smith overtook Emily Batty to take mountain bike bronze.
While the peaks seemed to cancel out the valleys, Canadian team officials will be studying the numbers and performances to see why Own The Podium’s projection of some 100 medals — the actual number was 112, but they wanted to dampen expectations — wasn’t met. The youth of the Canadian team, the power of Team Australia and a spate of fourth-place finishes — the lawn bowls team had five alone — were cited. There was plenty to celebrate. Joanna Brown rallied from a fractured shoulder to win triathlon bronze. Maude Charron, a relative newcomer to weightlifting, hoisted gold. Ellie Black, with two gold and a silver, was a class act in gymnastics.
Canada’s women ruled the sand in the Commonwealth Games debut of beach volleyball, with the men taking silver in a thriller.
Backstroker Kylie Masse followed up her 2017 world title with double individual gold and a relay silver. Wrestler Diana Weicker, a mother of two and part-time pediatric nurse, won gold.
Wheelchair racer Diane Roy, 47, won bronze. And 20-year-old boxer Thomas Blumenfeld, proudly put his body on the line to earn silver.
Diver Jennifer Abel bounced back from a disaster in the synchronized three-metre springboard to win gold in the individual event. And let’s not forget 70-yearold shooter Robert Pitcairn, the oldest competitor ever at the Commonwealth Games.
But the show belonged to Australia. The home team soared into top spot in the medal standings with 198. England was second with 136.