In what is likely to be his last chance to play in the Olympics, the 33-year-old Canadian team captain has moved one step closer to the 2016 Rio Summer Games.
The 25-23, 25-17, 25-23 victory over Puerto Rico late Wednesday has guaranteed sa国际传媒 will place in the top-four at the NORCECA men鈥檚 Continental championships in Cordoba, Mexico. The top four teams advance to the next stage of Olympic qualifying to take place in January at a venue to be determined.
鈥淣ow that we know we are in the top four, we can breathe a sigh of relief,鈥� said Winters, in a statement.
sa国际传媒, which opened with a win earlier in the week against Honduras, has not qualified for the Olympics since Barcelona in 1992. Winters and Oak Bay High grad Josh Howatson came within a game of getting to London 2012 but lost the qualifying final to the U.S. in Long Beach, California.
The 2015 NORCECA (North and Central America and Caribbean) semifinals and final take place this weekend.
鈥淲e have a really good opportunity to win the tournament [the U.S. has pre-qualified for Rio 2016 and is not playing], so we鈥檒l move forward from here,鈥� added Winters, who attended Claremont Secondary and Royal Oak Middle School. He got his start in the sport at age 15 with the Victoria Volleyball Association.
Outside-hitter Shanice Marcelle of Victoria, out of Spectrum Community School, and the Canadian women鈥檚 volleyball team also advanced to the next stage of qualifying for the Rio Olympics by placing fourth last week at the NORCECA women鈥檚 Continental championships in Morelia, Mexico.
