(Santiago, Chile) Canada won the women’s coxed eight in rowing to open competition Tuesday at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
The Canadian eight made up of Alizée Brien (Val-David), Kendra Hartley (Calgary), Olivia McMurray (Red Deer, Alberta), Parker Illingworth (Seattle), Abby Spiers (Victoria), Shaye De Paiva (Calgary), Abigail Dent (Kenora, Ont.), Leia Till (Potomac, Md.) and coxswain Kristen Kit (St. Catharines, Ont.) dominated the 2000m race from start to finish in six minutes and 10 .7 seconds.
The United States finished in second place in 6:14.17, while host nation Chile rounded out the podium in 6:17.78.
It was Canada’s third medal in rowing at the Pan American Games in Santiago. Dent and McMurray took silver in the coxless pair, while Brien, Hartley, Illingworth and De Paiva took bronze in the coxless quadruple on Monday.
Kit was coxswain when Canada won gold in the women’s eight for the first time in 29 years at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She was also coxswain’ for the Canadian boat in the A final of the mixed eight on Wednesday.
