Team Canada is home from the World Championships that were held in San Luis Potsí, Mexico from August 19 to 27, achieving with the best results in a decade.
Lee Connell of Saskatoon reached the podium as a member of the Men’s Team that won a silver medal in the Men’s Team Event. Connell’s excellent single results in the individual event was a factor in the Team Event as it contributed to Team Canada being seeded 4th in the draw.
Connell placed second in his preliminary pool and was able to advance to the medal round, where he lost in the round of 16. Although Connell was not selected to play in the Team Event, his contribution to the team earned him a spot on the podium and a World Championships silver medal along with Kurtis Cullen (Brandon), Coby Iwaasa (Lethbridge) and Sam Murray (St-Hubert).
Danielle Drury also of Saskatoon finished third in her pool in the preliminary round, but was very successful in the elite draw (consolation pool), advancing to the final where she was to face fellow Canadian, Juliette Parent of Saint-Jacques, QC. Both Drury and Parent were selected to play in the Women’s Team Event, so it was decided not to play the final match of the consolation round. The Canadian women’s team did not advance past the first round in the Team Event.
Canada also placed 4th in the overall event. This is determined through a calculation of results in all the individual and team events.
“We are so proud of our entire team,” said Jen Saunders, Racquetball Canada’s High Performance Director. “Their preparation and hard work was rewarded with solid on court play and podium results. We continue to build our program and are pushing towards the 2023 Pan Am Games.”
Murray and partner Frédérique Lambert of Montreal had success teaming up in Mixed Doubles advancing to the finals where they ended up in the silver medal position.
In Women’s Doubles, Lambert and Michèle Morissette of Baie-Comeau finished with a bronze medal. Iwaasa and Murray also reached the podium in Men’s Doubles, winning bronze.
The next event on the calendar for both Connell and Drury is a National Team Selection Event which will be held in November. The tournament is one of the events that will determine placement on Team Canada for the 2023 Pan American Games.
Link to complete World Championships results
Link to the IRF Facebook Page to watch recorded matches
