Canada’s Olympic berth right on target
Men’s recurve archery team takes gold at Pan Ams
LIMA, PERU — Canada’s archery team defeated Chile 5-4 in the men’s team recurve final and Crispin Duenas added gold in the men’s individual recurve — earning Canada a spot at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the process — as competition at the Pan American Games wrapped up Sunday.
Ottawa’s Eric Peters, Toronto’s Duenas and Brian Maxwell of Abbotsford, B.C., won the team event in a shoot-off after the match was tied 2-2 after four rounds. Canada led 4-0 after the first two rounds before Chile came back to tie over the next two.
“This shoot-off was our second one this year. We knew we had done it before at the World Cup and what we had to do and even though it didn’t go our way that time, it sure worked out for us today,” Peters said.
The United States defeated Mexico 5-3 in the bronze-medal match.
Later Sunday, Duenas defeated Brazil’s Marcus Dalmeida 6-4 in the individual men’s recurve final, though both countries were already assured of an Olympic berth in the event.
The American team of Brady Ellison and Casey Kaufhold won the mixed recurve gold Sunday, which earned the U.S. one men’s and one women’s quota spot. But because Ellison had already secured a men’s individual recurve quota spot for the U.S. at the 2019 world championships, the spot was reallocated to the men’s final to give the event two Olympic berths.
Peters, who lost 6-2 to Duenas in the semifinal, defeated Brazil’s Bernardo De Sousa 7-1 to take the individual recurve bronze.
The Canadian team of Duenas and Stephanie Barrett of Newmarket was defeated 5-3 by Mexico in the mixed recurve bronzemedal match.
Meanwhile, gymnast Ellie Black of Halifax was named Canada’s flag-bearer for the closing ceremony. Black won two gold, two silver and one bronze in Lima to become Canada’s most decorated Pan Am gymnast with 10 career medals. GOLF: Mary Parsons of Delta, B.C., Brigitte Thibeault of Rosemere, Que., Joey Savoie of La Prairie, Que., and Austin Connelly, an Texas-born golfer who has Canadian citizenship through his father, combined to win Canada’s first Pan Am golf medal in the mixed-team event. Canada’s score of 4-under was three shots back of leaders Colombia and Guatemala.
“I think all four of us grinded it out, like grinded out every shot to get to where we are, and we knew coming down the stretch we had to keep pushing because it wasn’t over until it was completely over,” Parsons said. “And I think we all put in a good amount of effort to get to where we are.”
In women’s individual competition, Parsons shot a final round of 1-under 70 to finish fifth overall in the women’s individual competition at 2 over — five strokes back of a podium spot. Thibeault, who entered Sunday’s action in medal contention after a strong third round, struggled with a final round of 4 over and finished tied for ninth at 6 over.
Connelly shot 3 under Sunday to finish the men’s event in sixth at 11 under. Savoie finished tied for 27th at 10 over after a final round of 2 over.
RACE WALK: Mathieu Bilodeau of Quebec City did not finish the 50-kilometre event. Only five of the 14 entrants crossed the finish line.
JUDO: Mina Coulombe of BaieComeau, Que., was defeated by Costa Rica’s Diana Brenes in the women’s 78-kilogram event. Coulombe was given a costly penalty on overtime. “I really don’t know why I got a penalty,” she said. “I was attacking a lot, and she wasn’t doing anything.”
BMX: Jaden Chipman of New Nowell, Ont., finished seventh in men’s freestyle.