Weekend Roundup: Team Canada earns two fencing qualifications for Tokyo 2020
The number 2️⃣ was popular for Team Canada athletes this weekend, in Tokyo 2020 qualifications and podium finishes.
Get in two the details of what happened this weekend.
Good Things Come in Doubles 👯♀️
READ: Tokyo 2020 Team Canada Qualification Tracker
For the first time since Seoul 1988, both the women’s and men’s fencing teams have achieved a quota spot for Team Canada in the team foil event.
The men’s team foil team poses for a group photo. (Credit: FIE)
Also qualifying for Tokyo 2020 over the weekend was canoe/kayak slalom athlete Michael Tayler. He booked his spot in the men’s K-1 event to Tokyo after this weekend’s races at the Sydney International Whitewater Festival in Australia.
Moguls Double Podium
READ: Kingsbury celebrates 62nd World Cup, Dumais takes bronze for a double podium in Japan
Heading over to the slopes, a pair of Canadians reached the podium in Tazawako. Mikaël Kingsbury claimed his 62nd victory, and was joined on the podium by teammate Laurent Dumais, who finished in third.
Two Ski Silvers 🥈
READ: Kevin Drury races to ski cross silver in Sunny Valley
READ: Irving soars to silver medal at World Cup in Belarus
Team Canada won two silver medals on the ski slopes over the weekend, with Kevin Drury winning ski cross silver in Sunny Valley, and Lewis Irving claiming silver at the Aerials World Cup in Minsk, Belarus.
Irving had an outstanding performance and was 0.46 points away from claiming the gold. This was his second career World Cup medal.
Two-woman Bobsleigh Bronze
READ: de Bruin and Bujnowski make a comeback for bronze at IBSF World Championships
At the IBSF World Championships in Germany, bobsledders Christine de Bruin and Kristen Bujnowski were fifth after Heats 1 and 2. They pushed hard in the final two runs to win the bronze medal.
A 🎾 Doubles Title
Over on the tennis courts, Vasek Pospisil and France’s Nicolas Mahut won the Open 13 Provence doubles title. The Franco-Canadian team defeated Wesley Koolhof from the Netherlands and Nikola Mektic from Croatia in two straight sets of 6-3, 6-4 for the title.
This was their first final as a duo in more than four years. This is a seventh career doubles title for Pospisil.
Second Straight Final
READ: Félix Auger-Aliassime advances to Open 13 final
On Saturday, Félix Auger-Aliassime advanced to his second ATP final in two weeks at the Open 13, after a 7-5, 7-6 (2) semifinal win over Gilles Simon of France. However, the following day Auger-Aliassime was defeated in the final by Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Second 🥋 Grand Slam title
Judoka Jessica Klimkait won Canada’s lone medal at the Judo Grand Slam in Düsseldorf, Germany on Friday. This is her second career Grand Slam title.
Good things come in threes too 😏
At the Copa Independencia in the Dominican Republic, Tammara Thibeault and Caroline Veyre boxed their way to gold in the 75kg and 57kg classes, respectively. Thomas Blumenfeld claimed silver in the 63kg event.
10 Years since Vancouver 2010 ✨
Over the weekend, the 10-Year Anniversary of Vancouver 2010 was celebrated in Vancouver with fans, Olympians and Paralympians. Fan festivities were capped off with the Olympic cauldron being lit up once again.
