Canadian Roundup: A world champion and more Olympic berths
With Rio 2016 on the horizon Brianne Theisen-Eaton claimed her first indoor world championship title, while four other athletes secured Olympic berths.
Canadians also brought home hardware in diving and snowboard cross.
Athletics
Read: Theisen-Eaton wins first world indoors title
Brianne Theison-Eaton won her first IAAF World Indoor Championships title on Sunday in the women’s pentathlon. The Canadian’s score of 4881 set a national record and made her the current world leader. In Japan, Inaki Gomez also set a new Canadian record in men’s 20km race walk, clocking a time of one hour, 19 minutes and 18 seconds.
Boxing
Read: Three Canadian boxers book Olympic berths
Mandy Bujold (women’s 51kg), Ariane Fortin (women’s 75kg) and Arthur Biyarslanov (men’s 64kg) each punched their boxing tickets to Rio 2016, at the American Olympic Qualifier in Argentina. Bujold and Biyarslanov won gold in their respective weight classes, while Fortin brought home a silver.
Tennis
Read: Raonic set to play in another ATP final at Indian Wells
Milos Raonic celebrates winning his quarterfinal match against Gael Monfils at Indian Wells on March 17, 2016.
Milos Raonic advanced to the Indian Wells final, his second ATP final in three tournaments this season. The Canadian went head to head with world no. 1 from Serbia, Novak Djokovic, who won Sunday’s match 6-2, 6-0.
Diving
Read: Canada wins four silver medals in Dubai
Canada brought home four medals from the second FINA Diving World Series event in Dubai. Meaghan Benfeito and Roseline Filion scored the nation’s first medal on Thursday, winning silver in the 10m synchronised platform. Jennifer Abel brought home a silver of her own in the women’s 3m springboard competition.
Trampoline
Rosie MacLennan competes in the trampoline at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games on July 19, 2015.
In winning the Canada Cup in Kamloops, BC on Sunday, Rosie MacLennan assured herself of a spot on the Rio 2016 Olympic team. It was MacLennan’s fourth place finish at the world championships last fall that secured Canada’s lone Olympic trampoline berth. This most recent victory gave her an insurmountable points lead after three of four selection events for the Canadian team. Jason Burnett claimed the men’s Canada Cup title, a confidence boost for the 2008 Olympic silver medallist who will head to Rio in April to compete at the test event which is doubling as the last-chance Olympic qualifier.
Snowboard
Read: Hill grabs snowboard cross silver at World Cup in Spain
Olympian Kevin Hill won silver at the final FIS World Cup snowboard cross stop on Sunday in Spain. Over in Czech Republic, Max Eberhardt won best trick in slopestyle competition before finishing fourth.
