Canadian women’s eights wins silver at Paris Olympics rowing game

Canada’s defending-champion women’s eight rowing team won a second straight Olympic medal on Saturday, rowing their way to a silver at the Paris Olympics.

 

The Canadians finished with a time of five minutes 58.84 seconds at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, behind gold medallist Romania who finished in five minutes 54.39 seconds.

 

Canada found itself in a tight battle with Great Britain for second with 500 metres to go, but were able to hold off their rivals to claim silver.

 

Campbell River, B.C.’s Avalon Wasteneys said she knew the Canadians would have to push hard all the way to the finish.

 

“I knew they were close, I knew it was going to be a tight race, and I was just digging as deep as I could, trying to find every ounce of energy and ultimately trying to leave the race course with zero regrets,” she said.

 

Coxswain Kristen Kit of St. Catharines, Ont. said the Canadians didn’t have the greatest start, and had to adjust the plan.

 

“I kind of made an executive decision to keep us high, and get us in the race, and we were in the race,” she said. “Honestly I was just really grateful the women trusted me to change the race tactics on the fly.”

 

The Canadians entered Paris as the defending gold medallists in the event after winning at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. However, Kit said the team slid down the standings after the last Olympics and “really struggled” to regain form.

 

“To pull it together in nine months, this is a dream come true,” said Kit, who said she will retire after Paris.

 

The team returned four members from the Tokyo games: Kit of St. Catharines, Ont., Calgary’s Kasia Gruchalla-Wesierski, Toronto’s Sydney Payne and Wasteneys.

 

Five others — Abby Dent of Kenora, Ont., Victoria’s Caileigh Filmer, Maya Meschkuleit of Mississauga, Ont., Jessica Sevick of Strathmore, Alta., and Kristina Walker of Wolfe Island, Ont. — joined the returning members on this year’s team.

 

The team qualified for Saturday’s finals after finishing second in Thursday’s repechage.

 

Canada has now won a rowing medal in every Olympics since 1992.

 

 

 

 

This article was first reported by The Canadian Press