With less than 50 days until the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, the Canadian Olympic Committee is not raising “any red flags”.
“Our preparation is on the right track, we have confidence,” said COC sports chief Eric Myles in an interview at the organization’s Montreal offices last week.
“We’re all pumped, we’re ready, we’ve been working hard. We experience a lot of stress at this stage. We all can’t wait to be there [in Paris]. »
As with Tokyo in 2021 and Beijing in 2022, where the pandemic complicated projections, the COC has not set a precise medal target for the event which will take place for the third time in the City of Lights, from July 26 to 11 august.
In Rio in 2016, Canadian athletes reached the podium 22 times, a record at the time for a non-boycotted Summer Games. They won 24 medals, including 7 gold, five years later in the Japanese capital.
“Are we going to win more medals? Myles wondered out loud. It’s delicate. Some people criticize the fact that we went beyond predictions. But there’s nothing more volatile than medal predictions. We’re definitely watching that. If we leave Paris and continue this progression […], we will be satisfied. Beyond the medals, things are going well at the moment if we look at it sport by sport. »
Gracenote’s popular virtual medal table, last published on April 17, projects Canada to win 22 medals, including 6 gold, in Paris.
Once again, athletics and swimming are shaping up to be the two “big performance drivers” for Team Canada. Andre De Grasse, a three-time medalist in Tokyo, has been slowed by injuries in recent years, but “he’s doing well right now.” “We know he’s a racer when the weather is right,” said Eric Myles. He has experience. »
In any case, the ace Ontario sprinter is far from being the only powerhouse of the Canadian team, which can count on four reigning world champions in Marco Arop (800m), Ethan Katzberg (hammer), Pierce LePage (decathlon ) and Camryn Rogers (hammer). This balance in athletics is a source of celebration for the head of sport.
“We even talk about diversity, both physical and ethnic. I think we have a good representation. So, on the athletics side, it’s reassuring. » The team will be selected following trials which will take place in Montreal from June 26 to 30.
Eric Myles expresses the same enthusiasm about the “package” swim team that was chosen in Toronto last month. Fourth in Tokyo at the age of 14, Summer McIntosh has the potential to match or even beat the record of four medals achieved by teammate Penny Oleksiak in Rio. Maggie Mac Neil, Kylie Masse and Quebecer Mary-Sophie Harvey checked all the boxes to contribute to the loot, and they are not the only ones. Led by the young Josh Liendo, the male group, cleared from London in 2012, is knocking on the door.
Both in the pool and on the track, relays are also an integral part of the strategy of both teams. “We take [the relays] seriously and I’m very happy with it,” rejoiced Myles, noting the bronze medal in the women’s 4 x 400 at the recent World Relays in the Bahamas.
So as not to forget anything before his meeting with La Presse, the COC senior official had blackened a full page of sports that arouse hope, such as basketball (men’s, women’s and 3 x 3), beach volleyball and women’s canoeing. . In judo, GM Nicolas Gill and head coach Antoine Valois-Fortier “are doing a mean job,” so much so that Christa Deguchi and Tokyo medalist Jessica Klimkait, world number one and number two, had to compete for the only available ticket , to the advantage of the first.
Breaking, a new sport “that can make you smile,” could just… smile in Canada. “I’m very interested in new sports,” noted the former international level kayaker. Instead of criticizing, I try to understand them. Phil Wizard [Phil Kim] is among the best in the world. He won at the Panam Games. Once again, there is nothing guaranteed, but it is certainly one of the best. It will be super interesting. »
If men’s rugby sevens missed its qualification, its female counterparts are coming back to the forefront after a short dip. Rowing is going through a more difficult phase, but the women’s eight, reigning Olympic champion, has just won gold at the Lucerne World Cup. In boxing, Quebecer Tammara Thibeault will be favorite in the 75 kg category. For the first time since 2004, the country will have full teams in both men’s and women’s gymnastics. In equestrian sports, Canada will be represented in all three disciplines (show jumping, dressage and eventing), which has never happened before. And there is golf, tennis, diving, etc.
On Monday, Eric Myles highlighted the “tenacity and rigor” of artistic swimmers during a nomination ceremony in Montreal. Despite the sudden closure of their training venue due to a fire, they surprised by getting on the podium at the last two World Cups in Paris and Markham.
The diversity of sports in which Canada stands out is part of “the beauty” of the contingent. “There are countries that target a lot,” Myles noted. For us, it’s really varied. Take Great Britain, they are strong, we are not even close, but they do next to nothing in the winter. »
The COC, which will make nearly twenty team announcements in the coming weeks, expects to bring together a delegation of 335 to 345 athletes in Paris, or around thirty fewer than in Tokyo.
Women will be in the majority and should still lead the charge in winning medals. “This strong trend will continue,” noted the sports chief, specifying that men will not be left out, particularly in athletics and swimming.