With the Paris Olympics a little more than six months away, we have a good idea of many potential contenders for medals for Canada.
We know the reigning Olympic champion women’s soccer team and World Cup bronze medal-winning men’s basketball team both will be battling for the podium after qualifying last year. Meanwhile, athletes like Summer McIntosh (swimming world champion), Ethan Katzberg (hammer throw world champ), Camryn Rogers (hammer throw world champ), Philip Kim (breaking world champion) and Brooke Henderson (the most successful golfer in Canadian history) are strong bets to be competing for medals.
But qualification isn’t a guarantee for some notable names — for a wide variety of reasons. There will be fierce battles for some spots, which inevitably will leave some top athletes on the sidelines.
Some of the key races heat up this week.
Here’s a look at some athletes and teams that need some things to go their way over the next few months to ensure they’re competing in certain events in Paris.
Golf
Two Canadian women and two men from the country will end up in Paris.
The top two men in the world rankings as of June 17 and top two women as of June 24 get the nod.
Henderson (world No. 13) is the lone lock. It will come down to Maddie Szeryk (No. 248), Maude-Aimee Leblanc (No. 273) and Alena Sharp (No. 288) for the second spot.
The men’s side is a great race, with Canada possessing strong depth. Corey Conners (No. 38) and Adam Hadwin (No. 48) currently hold spots, but 2023 RBC Canadian Open champ Nick Taylor (No. 54), Adam Svensson (No. 57), Mackenzie Hughes (No. 63) and Taylor Pendrith (No. 104) are within striking distance heading into this week’s full-field season opener on the PGA Tour in Hawaii.
Le Golf National, which hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup, is the Olympic venue.
Tennis
Felix Auger-Aliassime (No. 27) and Leylah Fernandez (No. 36) are in good positions to gain direct entry as top-56 players in world singles rankings.
Some other big names need good results before the June 10 deadline. The injured Bianca Andreescu is No. 108, though it’s possible she could get one of two spots reserved for Olympic champs or Grand Slam winners. Meanwhile, Dennis Shapovalov, coming off an injury-riddled year, has fallen out of the top 100 as the Australian Open looms.
In women’s doubles, it seems likely Gabriela Dabrowski (No. 7) and Fernandez (No. 21) could team up and be one of the higher-ranked teams in the 32-team draw.
It should be noted there are stipulations around Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup participation that must be met to compete in the Olympics.
Olympic tennis takes place at Roland Garros, site of the French Open.
Field hockey
The Canadian women are in Valencia, Spain for an eight-team qualifier starting Saturday. The top three go to Paris. Canada hasn’t qualified for the Olympics in women’s field hockey since 1992.
The Canadian men face the same task in Oman stating on the same date. Canada has qualified for the past two Olympics in men’s field hockey.
The Canadian women are ranked 16th in the world and the men are 17th. Twelve teams are in each Olympic tournament.
Women’s water polo
Canada is one of 16 teams in a world aquatics championships tournament starting Feb. 4 in Qatar.
The top two finishers not already qualified for the 10-team field earn berths. Canada did make the field in Tokyo.
Erin Brooks (surfing)
The 16-year-old Brooks, who won a silver competing for Canada at last year’s world championship, is caught in citizenship limbo.
Born in Texas and raised in Hawaii, Brooks has ties to Canada through her dad (a dual citizen) and Montreal-born grandfather.
But Canada must approve Brooks’ citizenship request.
Member of Parliament Jenny Kwan, the NDP critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, asked Minister Marc Miller to grant Brooks citizenship because an amendment to the Citizenship Act had stalled back in November.
The last qualification chance comes at the World Surfing Games, starting Feb. 22 in Puerto Rico. Brooks needs proof of Canadian citizenship by Feb. 7 to compete in that event.
“I’m just praying that we can get this done, so I can represent Canada in surfing competitions, but also so I can achieve my dream of being a Canadian,” Brooks said in November.
Women’s basketball
It’s not quite a slam dunk fifth-ranked Canada will earn a Paris berth, but it would be a major surprise if the squad doesn’t book a ticket.
Canada plays in a four-team tournament in Hungary from Feb. 8-11 with the top three earning spots. Host Hungary (No. 19), Spain (No. 4) and Japan (No. 9) are the other entrants.
Penny Oleksiak (swimming)
Canada will select its swim team after the Olympic Trials in Montreal from May 13-19.
While nothing is official, athletes like teen sensation Summer McIntosh and Maggie Mac Neil are near-shoo-ins.
Oleksiak, the breakout star of the 2016 Olympics and Canada’s most decorated Olympian, will be in the Montreal spotlight. She missed the 2023 world championships because of injury and has since spent most of her time training in California.
We’ll see if she can rediscover her previous top form and join what is expected to be a powerhouse swim squad in Paris.
Christa Deguchi and Jessica Klimkait (judo)
The good news: Deguchi and Klimkait are ranked first and second, respectively, in the women’s 57-kilogram division.
The bad news: Only one athlete from a country is eligible for Paris.
In 2021 in Tokyo, Klimkait got the Canadian spot by virtue of a better finish at the world championship and earned bronze.
Judo Canada hasn’t yet announced its qualification method for this year’s race, though it’s possible it could come down to the world championship in Abu Dhabi in May.
Women’s 3×3 basketball
Twins Katherine and Michelle Plouffe, Paige Crozon and Kacie Bosch won the FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series last year.
Canada will be one of eight countries competing for one spot at a qualifying tournament in May in Japan.
If Canada doesn’t win that tournament, the last chance to qualify comes later in May in Hungary, where 16 teams will compete for three spots.
Women’s volleyball
Canada fell just short of earning a Paris berth at a qualification tournament in China in September, but hopes remain high.
Three spots, following continental quotas, will be go to the highest-ranked teams not yet qualified at the end of Volleyball Nations League’s 2024 preliminary phase in June 2024.
Currently, Canada, ranked 11th in the world, is one spot behind the Netherlands for the third and final spot.
The final preliminary phase of Nations League sees Canada and the Netherlands in the same six-team event in Japan. It could go right down to the wire.
Canada hasn’t been to the Olympics in women’s volleyball since 1996.
The Canadian men already have qualified.
Andre De Grasse (track and field)
The sprint star won gold in the men’s 200 metres in the Diamond League final in the fall, a bright spot in an injury-plagued 2023. De Grasse has had his best success at 200 metres, including gold in Tokyo, and should be a factor again in Paris.
The question will come in the 100, the marquee event of the Olympics to man. De Grasse, a two-time Olympic bronze medal-winner at the distance, didn’t meet the standard to compete in the 100 at last year’s world championships.
He has until June 30 to put up a time to reach the field (there are 56 quota spots). The Canadian Olympic trials are June 27-30 in Montreal.
— With files from The Canadian Press.
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