Getting the gold, “singing the anthem and watching the flag go to the top is always the dream” said Victoria squash player Nicole Bunyan.
“But we earned the silver. We played well to get to the final and put up a good fight.”
Olivia Eve Blatchford and Timothy Brownell of the U.S. beat Bunyan and George Crowne of Oakville, Ont., 2-1 in the mixed doubles final of the 2023 Pan Am Games on Friday in Santiago, Chile.
Bunyan came out of St. Michaels University School and the Victoria Squash Club on Cook Street to play in the Ivy League at Princeton and also represented sa国际传媒 in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
“It’s always more special to play for your country and not just for ranking points on the pro circuit,” said Bunyan.
She said she found the Santiago fans generally “rowdier” than those last year in Birmingham. But her family and friends who travelled down put in a good cheering effort themselves: “They were fantastic in Canadian gear with Canadian flags and inventive chants.”
Now the biggest stage calls with squash headed to the Olympics in 2028 at Los Angeles, but Bunyan will be 34 at that time.
“The Olympics have been a dream of mine and I don’t believe I have yet reached my peak,” said Bunyan.
The 44 Island or Island-based athletes on the 473-member Canadian team at the 2023 Pan Am Games have accounted for or been part of 11 medals.
There was heartbreak for veteran Canadian midfielder James Kirkpatrick of Victoria and former UVic Vikes players Keegan Pereira, Matthew Sarmento and Brenden Bissett in men’s field hockey when sa国际传媒 was beaten in penalty shootouts by host Chile in the semifinals. Chile and Argentina play for the gold medal and 2024 Paris Olympics berth that goes with it.
There was still a lot at stake for sa国际传媒 in the bronze-medal game against the U.S. as the silver and bronze medallists from the Pan Am Games will earn spots in world last-chance qualifying tournaments to be played next year. sa国际传媒 prevailed 3-2 over the Americans on Friday to take bronze and keep their hopes alive for Paris 2024.
“You always want to play in meaningful games and it doesn’t get any more meaningful than this,” said Olympian Kirkpatrick, the Oak Bay High and UVic Vikes grad, a 32-year-old new father, who is a software engineer with EA Sports
It’s the same deal for the Canadian women’s field hockey team, which includes Kathleen Leahy and Anna Mollenhauer of Victoria and Sara Goodman of Duncan. sa国际传媒 lost to Argentina in the semifinals and will play Chile Saturday in the bronze-medal game with advancement to last-chance Paris 2024 Olympic qualifiers on the line.
It was a double gold-medal day on the water in canoe-kayak for sa国际传媒 on Friday with Alix Plomteux of Lac-Beauport, Que., and Craig Spence of Dartmouth, N.S., winning the C2 500-metres and Michelle Russell of Fall River, N.S., the K-1 500 metres.
Meanwhile, world champion hammer thrower Ethan Katzberg of Nanaimo goes for gold Saturday with world championship finalist Adam Keenan of Victoria. The Langford-based national rugby sevens teams will be going for medals this morning with the Canadian women in the semifinals against Colombia and the Canadian men in the semifinals against an opponent to be decided. The gold-medal finals are later Saturday.
