It was an up-and-down Day 8 for Canada. Things started well enough last night when Meryeta O’Dine popped up from a crash in the mixed team snowboard cross final to grab bronze for herself and teammate Éliot Grondin (the second medal of the Games for both). But then things went south. The Canadian men’s hockey team lost to the United States, and both curling rinks fell to Sweden to run their combined losing streak to four games. The real gut punch, though, came this morning when speed skater Laurent Dubreuil missed the podium in the men’s 500 metres. It was the first time in nine races this season that Dubreuil failed to win a medal.
Through eight days of full competition, Canada has won 13 medals — one gold, four silver, eight bronze. That’s tied for the third-highest total, but Canada ranks just 14th in the official standings, where gold medals are weighted heaviest.
Canada has a couple of chances to add to its tally on Day 9 in short track speed skating. Today’s viewing guide will cover those and preview an interesting new bobsleigh event. Plus, the Canadian men’s hockey team looks to secure an easier playoff path, Canada’s curlers try to snap their losing streak, and the latest on the big snowboarding beef.
Here’s what to watch on Saturday night and Sunday morning:
A Canadian is favoured to win the new bobsleigh event — for the U.S.
Bobsleigh slides into the spotlight tonight with the first two runs of the women’s monobob at 8:30 p.m. ET and 10 p.m. ET. This is a new Olympic event in which, as the name suggests, only one person occupies each sled instead of the usual two or four. It should also be the most exciting bobsleigh competition of the Games because there’s no clear favourite. In fact, probably half a dozen women could win gold.
The two racing for Canada are both contenders. Cynthia Appiah just finished third in the World Cup standings in her rookie monobob season after reaching the podium four times (two silver, two bronze). Christine de Bruin wasn’t as consistent but showed a higher ceiling, winning gold in two races en route to placing fourth in the season-long chase.
Then there’s Kaillie Humphries. The most successful Canadian bobsledder of all time won back-to-back Olympic two-woman titles in 2010 and ’14 and bronze in ’18 for Canada. But she now competes for the United States after a nasty split with the Canadian program. Humphries won the monobob world title last year for the U.S. and placed second in the World Cup chase this season, behind her good pal and American teammate Elana Meyers Taylor.
Humphries, however, is the (very slight) favourite to win Olympic gold after Meyers Taylor tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in Beijing and was forced to isolate for a week. She was cleared in time to participate in the official training runs, but missed the informal sessions. That would be a concern even on a familiar track. This one is new and is considered technically challenging, making those practice runs extra-important.
It wouldn’t be a bobsleigh event without a German among the top contenders, and Laura Nolte fits the bill here. She didn’t win a race this season but, in true German fashion, was a model of consistency, reaching four podiums in seven races and never placing worse than fifth. Australia’s Breeana Walker (a gold, three silvers and a bronze this season) is a threat to win too.
The final two runs of the monobob go on Sunday night, and many of the women involved will also be contenders in the two-woman event, which starts Friday. Read more about Canada’s chances in these competitions and the two men’s events here.
WATCH | Cynthia Appiah’s Beijing 2022 dream after Pyeongchang disappointment:
Bobsledder Cynthia Appiah’s Beijing 2022 dream after Pyeongchang disappointment
5 days ago
Duration 6:41
Canadian bobsledder Cynthia Appiah talks to Andrew Chang about becoming a medal hopeful in the debut of monosled at the 2022 Beijing Games after the disappointment of being demoted to an alternate on the Canadian women’s bobsled team before Pyeongchang 2018. 6:41
Canadian medal chances tonight and tomorrow morning
There are a couple of possibilities, both in the same sport:
Short track speed skating: Women’s 3,000m relay final at 6:44 a.m. ET
The Canadian team is one of only four in the final, so obviously there’s a good chance for a medal here, though they’re the No. 4 favourite in the betting odds.
Canada’s Kim Boutin is trying for her second medal of the Games and fifth Olympic medal of her career. That would put her even with fellow Canadian short tracker Charles Hamelin, and one away from long track skater Cindy Klassen’s all-time record for the most medals by a Canadian in the Winter Olympics. Boutin is only 27.
Short track speed skating: Men’s 500 metres
Neither Steven Dubois nor Jordan Pierre-Gilles is favoured to reach the final, but Dubois surprised us with a silver medal in the 1,500m earlier this week. He’s ranked seventh in the world in the 500. Pierre-Gilles is 11th.
The Canadians will compete in the same heat in the quarter-finals, which start at 6 a.m. ET. The top two in each heat and the two fastest third-place finishers advance to the semis at 6:27 a.m ET. The final is at 7:14 a.m. ET.
Some other interesting stuff you should know about
The Canadian men’s hockey team can make its playoff path easier. Last night’s 4-2 loss to the United States raised all sorts of questions about shaky goalie Eddie Pasquale, and gave the Americans the inside track on winning the group. That matters because, while every team in the tournament advances to the knockout stage, only the winners of the three groups and the best second-place team get a bye to the quarter-finals. The rest must survive a one-game playoff. Canada (1-1) shouldn’t have much trouble beating China in its group-stage finale Sunday at 8:10 a.m. ET. The host team is only here because it received an automatic berth (though, to be fair, the Chinese produced a respectable 3-2 loss to Germany after getting blown out 8-0 by the U.S.). But, the Canadians will be incentivized to run up the score to improve their goal differential, which could be the deciding factor for a quarter-final spot. The game could also be a chance to audition young Devon Levi in net. Read the case for switching to the collegiate standout here.
Canada’s curling teams will try to snap their combined four-game losing streak. Brad Gushue’s men’s team lost its second in a row this morning, falling to the reigning world champion Sweden rink skipped by Nik Edin. The Swedes are alone atop the standings at 4-0. Canada (2-2) will try to rebound tonight at 8:05 p.m. ET vs. the defending Olympic champion United States (2-2). American skip John Shuster won a surprising Olympic gold in 2018, but his rink is not considered a top contender this time. Canada’s women’s team is in an even tougher spot. Jennifer Jones and company are also on a two-game skid after losing to defending Olympic champion Sweden last night. And now Canada (1-2) has to play back-to-back world champ Switzerland (4-0) at 1:05 a.m. ET.
And finally…
The Maple Beef has been settled. That’s what other countries were calling it when Mark McMorris complained that he, not fellow Canadian snowboarder Max Parrot, should have won gold in the men’s slopestyle event after the head judge admitted a mistake by Parrot was missed. McMorris tweeted a public apology today, and Parrot said McMorris also made amends face-to-face. “I told him no worries,” the champion said. They’ll square off again in the men’s big air event, starting Monday. Read more about the McMorris-Parrot controversy here.
How to watch live events
They’re being broadcast on TV on CBC, TSN and Sportsnet. Or choose exactly what you want to watch by live streaming on CBC Gem, the CBC Sports app and CBC Sports’ Beijing 2022 website. Check out the full streaming schedule (with links to live events) here and read more about how to watch the Games here.
If you’re located outside Canada, you unfortunately won’t be able to access CBC Sports’ coverage of the Games on the app or the website. That’s due to the way the Olympics’ media rights deals work. But if you’re in the northern United States or other international regions, such as Bermuda, that regularly offer the CBC TV network, you can watch the Games there.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
CALGARY – Mired in their first four-game losing skid in 20 years, the Calgary Stampeders are going back to Jake Maier at quarterback on Saturday after he was benched for a game.
It won’t be an easy assignment.
Visiting McMahon Stadium are the Eastern Conference-leading Montreal Alouettes (10-2) who own the CFL’s best record. The Stampeders (4-8) have fallen to last in the Western Conference.
“Six games is plenty of time, but also it is just six games,” said Maier. “We’ve got to be able to get on the right track.”
Calgary is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
“I do still believe in this team,” said Stampeders’ head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson. “I want to see improvement, though. I want to see guys on a weekly basis elevating their game, and we haven’t been doing that.”
Maier is one of the guys under the microscope. Two weeks ago, the second-year starter threw four interceptions in a 35-20 home loss to the Edmonton Elks.
After his replacement, rookie Logan Bonner, threw five picks in last week’s 37-16 loss to the Elks in Edmonton, the football is back in Maier’s hands.
“Any time you fail or something doesn’t go your way in life, does it stink in the moment? Yeah. But then the days go on and you learn things about yourself and you learn how to prepare a little bit better,” said Maier. “It makes you mentally tougher.”
Dickenson wants to see his quarterback making better decisions with the football.
“Things are going to happen, interceptions will happen, but try to take calculated risks, rather than just putting the ball up there and hoping that we catch it,” said Dickenson.
A former quarterback himself, he knows the importance of that vital position.
“You cannot win without good quarterback play,” Dickenson said. “You’ve got to be able to make some plays — off-schedule plays, move-around plays, plays that break down, plays that aren’t designed perfectly, but somehow you found the right guy, and then those big throws where you’re taking that hit.”
But it’s going to take a team effort, and that includes the club’s receiving corp.
“We always have to band together because we need everything to go right for our receivers to get the ball,” said Nik Lewis, the Stampeders’ receivers coach. “The running back has to pick up the blitz, the o-line has to block, the quarterback has to make the right reads, and then give us a catchable ball.”
Lewis brings a unique perspective to this season’s frustrations as he was a 22-year-old rookie in Calgary in 2004 when the Stamps went 4-14 under coach Matt Dunigan. They turned it around the next season and haven’t missed the playoffs since.”
“Thinking back and just looking at it, there’s just got to be an ultimate belief that you can get it done. Look at Montreal, they were 6-7 last year and they’ve gone 18-2 since then,” said Lewis.
Montreal is also looking to rebound from a 37-23 loss to the B.C. Lions last week. But for head coach Jason Maas, he says his team’s mindset doesn’t change, regardless of what happened the previous week.
“Last year when we went through a four-game losing streak, you couldn’t tell if we were on a four-game winning streak or a four-game losing streak by the way the guys were in the building, the way we prepared, the type of work ethic we have,” said Maas. “All our standards are set, so that’s all we focus on.”
While they may have already clinched a playoff spot, Alouettes’ quarterback Cody Fajardo says this closing stretch remains critical because they want to finish the season strong, just like last year when they won their final five regular-season games before ultimately winning the Grey Cup.
“It doesn’t matter about what you do at the beginning of the year,” said Fajardo. “All that matters is how you end the year and how well you’re playing going into the playoffs so that’s what these games are about.”
The Alouettes’ are kicking off a three-game road stretch, one Fajardo looks forward to.
“You understand what kind of team you have when you play on the road because it’s us versus the world mentality and you can feel everybody against you,” said Fajardo. “Plus, I always tend to find more joy in silencing thousands of people than bringing thousands of people to their feet.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
