The City of Lights has turned on its beacon with qualification now open for all events in all sports for the 2024 Olympics. Two rugby sevens national sides will answer the call today at Starlight Stadium by booking their places in the Paris Games.
The favourites laid down their markers Saturday as play opened in the North American and Caribbean Olympic qualifying tournament before a near-capacity crowd of more than 4,500 enthusiastic spectators. The Canadian and American men started 2-0 and the Canadian women 3-0 in group-stage play. (The American women are pre-qualified for the Paris Olympics by placing third in this season’s World Series standings).
“We walk through these doors every day to train here but it’s very different when there are more than 4,000 people slamming their feet on the floor when you do it,” said Canadian women’s head coach Jack Hanratty.
“There is pressure with the Olympics on the line but the pressure will help us develop as a group.”
One with large ambitions.
“The goal is not to be Olympians but to be Olympic medallists,” said Hanratty.
The Canadian women embarked on that quest by beating St. Lucia 59-0, Jamaica 53-0 and Mexico 82-0 on Saturday to look to be well on their way to today’s championship game at 4:28 p.m., the winner of which will punch their ticket to the Paris Olympics.
“The Olympic dream for Paris is something that is very real for us,” said Canadian captain Olivia Apps.
“But we focus on the next game up and what’s the task right now.”
That will be a women’s semifinal date at 1:35 p.m. today against St. Lucia. The other women’s semifinal features Jamaica against Mexico at 1:08 p.m.
Sophie De Goede of Victoria was a major factor for sa国际传媒 on Saturday. “We need to retain a killer mindset and to keep playing with tempo,” said the Oak Bay High graduate, who was also sa国际传媒 XVs captain in the 2022 World Cup and finalist for World Rugby player of the year.
“We were not scored against today and that is really positive.”
The Canadian men defeated Barbados 38-0 and Jamaica 21-12.
Canadian head coach Sean White of Victoria told his charges: “This is a big occasion, but don’t get lost in it.”
sa国际传媒 captain Phil Berna noted the crowd response: “It’s electric out there when the Canadian fans get going. We are enjoying the moment.”
But the American men appear as if they will be damping the moment today for the hosts as they charged out to a 62-0 victory over Bermuda followed by a 40-0 win over Mexico.
Asked if that sent a message, American superstar Perry Baker replied: “We want to send a message to ourselves. We respect everyone and fear no one.”
The Canadians and Americans have guaranteed themselves berths in the men’s semifinals today at 2:02 p.m. and 2:29, respectively, against opponents to be decided as they race to their expected meeting in the championship game at 5:28 p.m., with the winner advancing to the Paris Games next summer.
“It’s going to be a great game [in the final] with a ticket to the dance on the line,” said Baker.
The Americans are savouring the moment as much as the Canadians.
“We are loving the atmosphere here and playing in front of fans who love rugby,” said two-time Olympian Baker.
“This stadium is the perfect size and the fans are so close to you. Players feed off that.”
All will not be lost for the teams who will stand on the bottom two rungs of the podium today.
The second and third-place men’s and women’s teams will earn berths into the world at-large, last-chance Paris Olympics qualifying tournament next June at a site to be determined. That means there will also be a lot on the line in the bronze-medal games today with the women’s at 3:57 p.m. and the men’s at 4:57 p.m.
Play begins this morning with the men’s quarter-finals between Mexico and Barbados and Jamaica and Bermuda at 11:40 a.m. and 12:07 p.m. with the winners advancing to meet the U.S. and sa国际传媒 in the semifinals.
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