Li defends badminton gold at Pan Am Games
Canadian team’s medal haul continues
TORONTO — Canada’s Michelle Li is now a two-time Pan Am Games badminton champion. She thrilled her hometown crowd at the Atos Markham Pan Am/Parapan Am Centre with a 2-0 victory over fellow Canadian Rachel Honderich in today’s women’s badminton final.
“It is tough to have to beat a friend,” Li said. “To see her lose, it’s not something I want. But I guess we’re both mature enough to know that when we’re on court, it’s for yourself.”
Li, who won gold four years ago at the 2011 Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, defeated Honderich 21-15, 21-9.
Li and Honderich teamed up together to win doubles bronze earlier in the week.
Canada’s Toby Ng and Alex Bruce settled for silver in the mixed doubles final. They dropped a 21-9, 21-23, 21-12 decision to Americans Phillip Chew and Jamie Subandhi.
Canadian Andrew d’Souza took silver in the men’s singles final after losing to Guatemala’s Kevin Cordon 21-13, 21-14.
“He didn’t let me really play at the net when I wanted to,” d’Souza said. “He didn’t let me take the attack. He’s very good at keeping his attack and I just had a lot of trouble getting out of it when I played him.”
Canada’s medal count rose to 89 with a few events remaining on Thursday’s schedule. The Canadians lead the medal haul at the Games once more after briefly falling behind the United States.
Canada has earned 36 gold, 33 silver and 20 bronze thus far. The Canadians men’s and women’s team sprint teams took double gold in the first day of track cycling at the Cisco Milton Pan Am/Parapan Am Velodrome.
Hugo Barrette of Cap-aux-Meules, Que., Victoria’s Evan Carey and Joseph Veloce of St. Catharines. Ont., edged Venezuela in 44.241 seconds in the men’s race. Kate O’Brien and Monique Sullivan topped Cuba in 33.959 seconds in the women’s team sprint to win Canada’s second gold of the night at the Velodrome.
In men’s golf, Canadian Austin Connelly was tied for fourth after shooting a 2-under 70 in the first round. Teammate Garrett Rank was 27th at 7-over 79.
“They say you can’t win on the first day, but you can certainly lose it,” Connelly said. “I don’t feel like I lost it.”
Meanwhile, Emily Overholt of West Vancouver, B.C., was disqualified in the women’s 400-metre individual medley final at the Pan Am Games for a “non-simultaneous” wall touch. She appeared to win gold in a Pan Am record time of four minutes 35.33 seconds but officials ruled that her hands did not touch the wall at the same time during the breaststroke turn. With Overholt disqualified, American Caitlin Leverenz finished first in 4:35.46, Canada’s Sydney Pickrem was second in 4:38.03 and Joanna Maranhao of Brazil placed third in 4:38.07.
Elsewhere, Canada’s women’s basketball team roared to a 101-38 rout of Venezuela in its opening match. Seven Canadians scored in double figures, with Lizanne Murphy leading the way with 15 points. Shona Thorburn had 14, Kim Gaucher and Kia Nurse added 12 each, Nayo Raincock-Ekwune had 11, and Tamara Tatham and Katherine Plouffe chipped in with 10 apiece.