TORONTO 鈥� From the thousands of hours spent training at Westhills Stadium and the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence to best in the Americas.
The Canadian men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 rugby sevens teams, both based in Greater Victoria, kept a crowd of more than 18,000 at BMO Field in an uproar Sunday by sweeping to the gold medals at the 2015 Pan American Games.
The Canadian men, who have yet to qualify for Rio 2016, upset two Olympics-bound sides 鈥� the U.S. 26-19聽 in the semifinals and Argentina 22-19 in the final with both games won with tries scored right at the final buzzer.
Tries by Victoria鈥檚 Phil Mack, on a head-swiveling deke and dash, followed by Harry Jones鈥� winner at the death gave sa国际传媒 its pulsating come-from-behind victory over Argentina in the gold-medal final.
sa国际传媒 was the defending gold-medal men鈥檚 champions from the 2011 Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. Women鈥檚 rugby sevens made its Games debut in Toronto.
The question for the Olympics-qualified Canadian women鈥檚 team now is whether this is a prelude to being best in the world next year at the 2016 Rio Summer Games. sa国际传媒 won the gold medal Sunday at the Pan Am Games by overwhelming the U.S. 55-7 in a thoroughly dominating performance in the final.
鈥淲hen we give it our best performance, we know the gold medals will be around our necks,鈥� said Canadian captain Jennifer Kish.
It was lessons learned during an underachieving performance in the sa国际传媒 Sevens in April at Westhills Stadium in Langford that served the Canadian women so well here in Toronto.
鈥淏ack in Langford, the [home] crowd was a huge distraction,鈥� said Kish, noting sa国际传媒 wilted under the pressure of home-field expectation.
鈥淪o I told our players to make it seem like it鈥檚 just white noise, and to stay attuned into ourselves.鈥�
There was time enough for celebration and enjoyment of the home crowd following the game during a rapturous victory lap of BMO Field.
鈥淭hat lap around the field was a great experience . . . and there are more great days to come for this team,鈥� said Kish.
Ashley Steacy, who scored two tries for sa国际传媒, concurred.
鈥淚t was a really great crowd and we gave a hell of a performance today in the gold-medal game. We were super emotional at Langford . . . we [wanted] to stay on point here and focus. The lessons we learned in Langford about the pressures of playing at home [were] put into effect here in Toronto.鈥�
Canadian women鈥檚 coach John Tait of Victoria drummed that into his team in the Games lead-up.
鈥淲e battled hard in Langford [the sa国际传媒 Sevens was the first World Series event ever held in sa国际传媒] but didn鈥檛 connect on the field,鈥� he noted.
鈥淚t came down to channeling our emotions better here in Toronto. It was an amazing atmosphere at BMO and we channeled that better than we did in Langford. We鈥檝e also played in front of large crowds before overseas, but they have been split between who they were cheering for. This was all for us.鈥�
This, however, is just a secondary goal accomplished compared to the ultimate one.
鈥淭his was the icing on the cake after qualifying for the Olympics earlier this year. The biggest step is winning gold in Rio,鈥� said Tait.
The Canadian team now goes for its Olympic site visit to Rio. Following that, the players will break for four weeks before reconvening Aug. 15 in Langford.
鈥淚t will be one year out and that鈥檚 when we begin our push for Rio,鈥� said Tait.
The Canadian men鈥檚 semifinal victory over the U.S. came with a backstory. The U.S. defeated sa国际传媒 21-5 in the final of the Americas/Caribbean Olympic qualifying tournament last month in North Carolina and will be going to Rio 2016 while sa国际传媒 must now face a difficult last-chance qualifier next year for the 12th and final Olympic berth.
That made victory over the Americans Sunday all the more satisfying, even though it came one month too late.
鈥淲e鈥檙e still licking our wounds from the qualifier,鈥� admitted Canadian star Mack, a James Bay player.
Sunday鈥檚 semifinal win couldn鈥檛 completely compensate, but it provided some balm for what is turning into a mercurial Canadian national men鈥檚 "TEAM" that includes Mack and Sean White out of Oak Bay High, Mike Fuailefau from St. Michaels University School, Pat Kay from Cowichan High and Nathan Hirayama, Sean Duke and Lucas Hammond from the University of Victoria Vikes.
And then came that victory for the gold medal against Argentina, another Olympics-bound team. Amazingly, sa国际传媒 barely survived a quarter-final scare Sunday against Chile, needing a last-second try to tie it and a try in overtime from Mack to win it. So, who knows what the Canadian men might be capable of at the last-chance Rio qualifier next year.
ISLAND NOTES: The gold medals continued unabated Monday for the more than 50 Island-based athletes competing in the 2015 Pan Am Games as Elk Lake rowers and 2012 London Olympics silver-medallists Will Crothers and Conlin McCabe, along with touted newcomer Kai Langerfeld of Parksville, powered sa国际传媒 to the top of the podium in men鈥檚 coxless fours while UVic Vikes product Antje Von Seydlitz also took gold in the women鈥檚 double sculls . . . Rosie DeBoef of Victoria captured bronze in the women鈥檚 coxless pairs . . . Two-time world-champion Catharine Pendrel, the native of New Brunswick who began mountain biking on the trails of the Lower Island when she converted to mountain biking after being a casual athlete in the University of Victoria Triathlon Club, won silver Sunday at the Pan Am Games in a 1-2 Canadian finish behind gold-medallist Emily Batty . . . Richard Weinberger was a little-known Victoria open-water swimmer when he struck gold at the last Pan Am Games in 2011 at Guadalajara en route to bronze at the 2012 London Olympics. Weinberger settled for an agonizing fourth place Sunday at Toronto 2015, missing the podium by just 1/100ths of a second, while world championships silver-medallist Eric Hedlin of Victoria was ninth. . . . More than 50 Island-based athletes are competing in the 2015 Pan Am Games . . . That doesn鈥檛 count the numerous officials, coaches, technical and support here from the island, including former Victoria Shamrocks player and current Shamrocks Internet broadcaster Ted Jenner, who provided the English PA announcements at BMO Field for the Pan Am Games rugby sevens. Venue announcements at these Games are made in English, French and Spanish. After English, it is Spanish that is the most overheard language on the streets of Toronto during these Games.
[email protected]
