From London to Manila, it was a rough Sunday morning for sa国际传媒 in international sports.
Steve Nash鈥檚 bid to return to the Olympics, this time as Canadian team general manager, was dashed as France defeated sa国际传媒 83-74 in the Philippines in the final of the last-chance men鈥檚 basketball qualifier for the 2016 Rio Summer Games.
sa国际传媒 has not been to the Olympics in men鈥檚 hoops since Victoria鈥檚 Nash, a two-time NBA MVP, captained sa国际传媒 at the 2000 Sydney Summer Games. Veteran NBA guard Tony Parker proved too crafty for sa国际传媒 on Sunday as France advanced to Rio and sa国际传媒鈥檚 so-called Golden Generation, being marshalled internationally by SMUS-grad Nash and head coach Jay Triano, was left to contemplate Tokyo 2020.
fIt was also France that ended point-guard Nash鈥檚 and sa国际传媒鈥檚 dreams in the quarter-finals at Sydney 2000.
Meanwhile, Milos Raonic, the first Canadian to play in the Wimbledon men鈥檚 final, could not become the first Canuck male to win a Grand Slam title and fell to Andy Murray of Great Britain 6-4, 7-6, 7-6.
鈥淭his one is going to sting. I鈥檓 going to make sure . . . that I do everything I can to be back here for another chance,鈥� said Raonic in his TV interview following the final. Despite the loss, the Raonic effect in tennis is being felt across sa国际传媒.
鈥淢ilos Raonic is only 25 and hitting his prime. It鈥檚 only a matter of time until he becomes the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam title,鈥� said Robert Bettauer, tennis analyst for Sportsnet and CEO of the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence on the Camosun College Interurban campus.
鈥淢ilos Raonic and Eugenie Bouchard are helping build the sport across sa国际传媒,鈥� said Bettauer, the Rio Olympic tennis analyst for CBC TV next month.
鈥淥ur summer junior tennis program, beginning Monday at PISE, is overflowing. It鈥檚 the same across the country. And the clay courts that are coming to Bear Mountain are going to add to our ability to produce and enhance Canadian talent on the most common surface [clay] in the world.鈥�
But that is a story for another day. Bettauer acknowledged that Sunday belonged to Murray. 鈥淎ndy Murray was a man on a mission and at the peak of his game,鈥� said Bettauer.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not that Milos didn鈥檛 play well. It was that Andy Murray was outstanding and played brilliantly.鈥�
