Canadian women’s 8 rowing team clinches spot at Paris Olympics
The Canadian women’s eight rowing team have booked their place at next summer’s Paris Olympic Games with a fifth-place result at the World Rowing Championships on Sunday in Belgrade, Serbia.
Canada finished the race in six minutes 7.15 seconds, taking the last Olympic qualification spot just ahead of the Italian crew, who were the only team to miss qualifying for Paris.
Romania won gold in 6:01.28, followed by the silver-medallists from the U.S. (6:03.73), while early race leader Australia (6:04.17) held on for bronze.
Canada won gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and Sunday’s result means they will have the chance to defend their Olympic title in 2024.
The Canadian team in action at worlds consisted of Toronto’s Sydney Payne, Avalon Wasteneys of Campbell River, B.C., Calgary’s Kasia Gruchalla-Wesierski, Morgan Rosts of Jordan, Ont., Cassidy Deane of Whistler, B.C., Kirsten Edwards of Port Moody, B.C., Alexis Cronk of London, Ont., Jessica Sevick of Strathmore, Alta., and coxswain Kristen Kit of St. Catharines, Ont.
