Humana-Paredes, Wilkerson officially named to Canada’s Olympic beach volleyball team

After competing with different partners at the Tokyo Games, Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson are joining forces this summer at the Paris Olympics.

Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson, both from Toronto, were part of Canada’s Olympic beach volleyball team announced Friday by Volleyball Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Heather Bansley of Waterdown, Ont., Toronto’s Sophie Bukovec, Samuel Schachter of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Toronto’s Daniel Dearing were also named to the squad.

Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson are currently ranked fourth in the world and recently won silver at the Ostrava Elite 16 event in Czechia

“We have been preparing and looking forward to this moment since we embarked on this journey together less than two years ago,” Humana- Paredes said in a news release. “When we got together, our goals were clear: making history in Paris.”

Wilkerson and Humana-Paredes had to work quickly to gear up for a run to Paris after teaming up two months before the qualification window opened.

“As a new team we didn’t have much time before needing to execute in order to get Olympic points,” Humana-Paredes said. “We knew what the team was capable of and quickly we made our presence known, meeting our standards every chance we got.”

Brief retirement

Bansley is back in action after briefly retiring after the Tokyo Olympics, where she and Wilkerson advanced to the quarterfinals following an upset of third-ranked Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil of the United States. She will team up with Bukovec in Paris.

Humana-Parades and Sarah Pavan also advanced to the quarterfinals in Tokyo before being upset by Australians Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar.

Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson earned an Olympic spot based on their world ranking.

Schachter and Dearing secured the men’s continental spot and Bansley and Bukovec won the women’s continental berth at the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Tlaxcala, Mexico. Both teams went undefeated throughout the tournament without dropping one set.

“I am incredibly grateful to be returning to the Olympics for the second time, especially after just missing out on qualifying for Tokyo. I have a renewed appreciation for how difficult it is to have the opportunity to represent your country at the Olympics,” said Schachter, who also represented Canada at the 2016 Rio Games.

Beach volleyball will take place July 27 to Aug. 10 at the Eiffel Tower Stadium.

Black headlines gymnastics

Ellie Black is heading to a fourth Summer Games as part of Canada’s gymnastics team competing at the Paris Olympics.

The 28-year-old from Halifax, who becomes the first Canadian artistic gymnast to appear at four Games, headlines the roster announced Friday by Gymnastics Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Black placed fourth in the balance beam final at the Tokyo Games in 2021 for Canada’s best Olympic result in any women’s artistic gymnastics event.

She also placed fifth in the women’s all-around at the 2016 Rio Games and helped Canada to fifth in the team event at London 2012.

Vancouver’s Shallon Olsen, heading into her third Olympics, will join Black along with women’s artistic gymnasts Cassie Lee of Toronto, Ava Stewart of Bowmanville, Ont., and Aurelie Tran of Repentigny, Que.

Canada will also field a full men’s artistic gymnastics team for the first time since 2008. Rene Cournoyer of Repentigny, Zachary Clay of Chilliwack, B.C., Felix Dolci of Laval, Que., William Emard of Laval and Samuel Zakutney of Ottawa make up that team.

Pair set for Olympic archery debuts

Virginie Chenier and Eric Peters have been named to Canada’s Olympic archery team.

Archery Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee announced the roster Friday. Both athletes are set to make their Olympic debuts.

Chenier, 29, lost to Kristine Esebua in an all-Canadian final at the Pan American continental qualifier in April, which secured an Olympic recurve spot.

“I am super excited to be named to my first Olympic team,” Chenier said. “It has been hard work and perseverance for the last decade and I feel like all of it is finally paying off.”

The 27-year-old Peters, from Kitchener, Ont., won silver in the men’s individual recurve event at the 2023 world archery championships, Canada’s best-ever result in the event.

“It feels crazy, it’s a culmination of all the work and hardship I have been through over my career,” Peters said in a news release. “While it is just one more step in my career, it’s an honour.”

Peters won gold in the men’s team recurve with teammates Crispin Duenas and Brian Maxwell and a bronze in the men’s individual recurve at the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru.

Archery Canada has said previously that Esebua, a four-time Olympian for Georgia who immigrated to Canada in 2019, is not eligible to compete in Paris.

By qualifying both a men’s and women’s athlete, Canada will also compete in the mixed team event in Paris.

Archery will take place July 25 to Aug. 4.