Team Canada summer athletes headed to late September world championships
The weather may be cooling down, but there’s still more hot summer sports action to come in September.
In fact, the second half of the month is as jam-packed as the first couple of weeks were.
READ: Summer world championships in September for Team Canada athletes
You won’t want to miss any of these world championships at which Canadians will be competing around the world:
ITU World Triathlon Series Grand Final – Gold Coast, Australia – September 12-16
Joanna Brown of Team Canada warms up before the start of the women’s triathlon at Southport Broadwater Parklands in the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia, Thursday, April 5, 2018. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
The ninth and final stop of the World Triathlon Series will crown the sport’s world champions. Results will count towards a world ranking list that will be used in May 2020 to determine Olympic qualification.
In the women’s event, Joanna Brown made a move up the standings with her fourth-place finish at the most recent WTS race in Montreal. She’s returning to Gold Coast where she won bronze at the Commonwealth Games in April. Brown placed fifth at last year’s Grand Final. Tyler Mislawchuk heads Down Under ranked eighth in the WTS season standings. He’ll be joined on the men’s start line by Matthew Sharpe.
Fun fact: Joanna Brown previously won bronze at the Grand Final in the junior (2010) and U23 (2012) categories.
ISA World Surfing Games – Tahara, Japan – September 15-22
Cody Young competes at the Surf Canada Nationals in May 2018 Photo: Marcus Paladino
This year, the annual event will include surfers who hope to be back on Japanese waves at Tokyo 2020 when their sport makes its Olympic debut. Consider this a nice stress test without Olympic qualification on the line.
In the open men’s event for Canada will be veteran Peter Devries, who is returning to international competition after more than a decade, and a couple of 19-year-olds, Sean Foerster and Cody Young. The women’s open event features 15-year-old phenom Mathea Olin alongside 18-year-old Bethany Zelasko and big wave rider Paige Alms.
Fun fact: It’s typhoon season in the Pacific, so the hope is that huge swells can produce fantastic waves.
IJF Judo World Championships – Baku, Azerbaijan – September 20-27
Team Canada’s Christa Deguchi and Jessica Klimkait in the women’s 57kg final at the Judo Grand Prix in Hohhot, China (Photo: Sabau Gabriela)
The biggest annual event on the judo calendar isn’t a direct Olympic qualifier. But, as with almost every international judo competition since the end of May, it does have ranking points up for grabs. In May 2020, the world ranking lists will determine which judokas will compete at Tokyo 2020.
Canada has entered six men and seven women to compete in eight events: Ecaterina Guica (women’s 52kg), Christa Deguchi and Jessica Klimkait (women’s 57kg), Arthur Margelidon and Antoine Bouchard (men’s 73kg), Stéfanie Tremblay and Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard (women’s 63kg), Étienne Briand (men’s 81kg), Emily Burt and Kelita Zupancic (women’s 70kg), Louis Krieber-Gagnon and Zachary Burt (men’s 90kg), Kyle Reyes (men’s 100kg).
Fun fact: At the Olympic Games, each country can only enter one judoka per event.
FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup – Tenerife, Spain – September 22-30
Formerly known as the FIBA World Championship for Women, the 18th edition of the quadrennial competition is taking place in the largest of the Canary Islands off the west coast of northern Africa. Head coach Lisa Thomaidis has a strong roster of players that includes many returnees from Rio 2016.
Canada is currently ranked a best-ever fifth in the world and will begin in Group A, playing preliminary matches against Greece (September 22), South Korea (September 23), and world number three France (September 25).
Fun fact: Canada finished fifth in 2014, its best result since winning bronze at the 1986 FIBA World Championship for Women.
UCI Road Cycling World Championships – Innsbruck, Austria – September 23-30
Karol-Ann Canuel competes at Rio 2016. August 10, 2016. COC Photo/Jason Ransom
The big prize every cyclist wants is the rainbow jersey. Predominantly white with five bands of colours, it is worn by cycling world champions in all disciplines for one year, including those who capture gold in the individual time trial and road race.
Canada has been allocated four entries in the men’s road race and six entries in the women’s road race. Canada can enter two cyclists in each of the individual time trials as well. There will also be Canadian cyclists competing with their professional teams in the team time trials.
Fun fact: In 2017, Leah Kirchmann won gold and Karol-Ann Canuel won silver in the non-Olympic team time trial event.
ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – September 25-30
Ben Hayward competes in the men’s C1 canoe slalom heats at the Minden Wild Water Preserve during the Pan Am Games in Minden, Ontario on July 18, 2015.
The most recent Olympic venue in Deodoro is hosting the world’s best slalom paddlers once again.
Fresh off the last World Cup of the season, Canada’s entries include: Florence Maheu (women’s K-1), Lois Betteridge (women’s K-1), Ben Hayward (men’s K-1), Michael Tayler (men’s K-1), Haley Daniels (women’s C-1), Lois Betteridge (women’s C-1), Cameron Smedley (men’s C-1), Spencer Pomeroy (men’s C-1).
Fun fact: Women’s canoe slalom will make its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020.
FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Championship – Japan – September 29-October 20
Marcello Abbondanza took over the head coaching duties of Canada’s Indoor Women’s Team in May 2017. A former coach of both the Italian and Bulgarian national teams, he guided Canada to bronze at the Pan American Cup in July.
Currently ranked 19th in the world, Canada will play in Pool B. Preliminary round opponents include Turkey (September 29), Italy (September 30), world number one China (October 2), Cuba (October 3), and Bulgaria (October 4).
Fun fact: This will be the fifth time that Japan hosts the quadrennial competition which will be in its 18th edition.
