TEMUCO, Chile (October 22, 2026) – Team Canada closed out the singles and doubles events at the XXIII IRF World Racquetball Championships with three medals: a silver in men’s doubles and bronze medals in men’s singles and mixed doubles. Samuel Murray of Saint-Basile-le-Grand, Québec led the way with two medals, and Frédérique Lambert and Juliette Parent added a women’s doubles Elite Draw title.
Men’s doubles silver after a five-game final
Top seeds Murray and Coby Iwaasa of Lethbridge, Alberta took Mexico’s Andree Parrilla and Eduardo Portillo Torres the distance in the men’s doubles gold medal match. The Canadians fell 10-12 in the opening game, then answered twice to level the match before Mexico won the tiebreaker. The final score was 10-12, 11-7, 5-11, 11-9, 6-11, in a match full of spectacular shots and long rallies.
Iwaasa and Murray reached the final without dropping a game. They beat Japan’s Hiroshi Shimizu and Yasutaka Mizuno 11-4, 11-4, 11-9 in the quarterfinals, then defeated DJ Mendoza and Adam Manilla of the United States 11-8, 11-4, 11-5 in the semifinals.
Bronze for Webb and for Murray and Parent
Trevor Webb of Kitchener, Ontario earned bronze in men’s singles. He came from a game down to beat Chile’s Alan Natera 6-11, 15-13, 11-8, 11-3 in the quarterfinals, then met Bolivia’s Conrrado Moscoso in the semifinals.
In mixed doubles, Murray teamed up with Juliette Parent of Saint-Jacques, Québec to reach the semifinals and claim bronze, giving Murray his second medal of the championships.
Elite Draw title for Lambert and Parent
In the women’s doubles Elite Draw, Frédérique Lambert of Montréal, Québec and Parent took the title with an 11-3, 11-8, 11-6 win over Chile’s Mansilla Cid and Guzmán.
Team Canada has already made a strong start in the team competition, which closes out the championships in Temuco. The men beat Argentina 2-0 and the women beat Japan 2-0 in the best of three on Thursday. Both teams play in the quarterfinals on Friday, with the men facing Ecuador and the women facing Argentina.
“Team Canada fought for every match, every game, and every point in the individual round at the World Championships,” said Team Leader Jennifer Saunders. “I’m incredibly proud that we’ll be bringing three medals home to Canada — one silver and two bronze. These results are a reflection of the hard work of our athletes and coaches and demonstrate that our national team program continues to perform at an elite level.”
“Team Canada once again showed that our elite players are some of the best in the world, finishing with one silver and two bronze medals in the individual competition,” said Head Coach Tim Landeryou. “There were moments of deep disappointment and others of euphoric triumph, but through it all our athletes fought hard and competed at the highest level. As a coach, I am very proud not only of their accomplishments but of the way they’ve competed so far. We will continue to strive for excellence as we move into the team competition, where we have a good opportunity for more medals.”
The championships are livestreamed on the Panam Sports Channel and the IRF YouTube and Facebook pages.
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