Captain Gavin Schmitt was among 12 athletes named to Canada’s men’s volleyball team on Friday ahead of the Rio Olympic Games.
Advertisement
There’s certainly been plenty of memorable moments over the 120-year history of the modern Olympics, from the moment that the first Games took place in Athens in 1896 to the most recent instalment that took place on these shores in the form of London 2012.
That would include Mattamy, site of the team’s Pan Am Games run that was part of the program’s golden summer of 2015 that included the FIBA Americas tournament win that earned them their Rio spot. The Hamilton, Ontario native is the only NCAA athlete on Team Canada’s 12-player roster.
“Every team that’s made it has had to go through a lot to get to this point”.
Frenchman Daniel Levavasseur, coach of Chinese women’s epee team, aims to defend the group title and clinch the single’s gold in Rio, while Cariocan Ricardo Azevedo, dubbed “water polo godfather”, eyes a medal for the team in his hometown.
Back in China in 2013, the 64-year-old Australian set a realistic Rio goal of last eight for the team, which were pitted in the group with powerhouse United States, Spain, Serbia, Senegal and Canada. Team USA is coached by UConn’s Geno Auriemma and has five former Huskies on the squad – Stewart, Sue Bird, Tina Charles, Maya Moore, and Diana Taurasi.
The Rio 2016 Olympic Games starts in just two weeks and thousands of athletes are getting ready to compete across 306 events, covering 42 different sports, over 19 days of competition.
Advertisement
It’s the first time in 24 years that Canada will have a men’s team competing in indoor volleyball at the Olympics. While Nurse, Nirra Fields, Miah-Marie Langlois, Katherine Plouffe and Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe will be first time Olympians.
