Lizanne Murphy is a two-time Olympian who competed at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Games in basketball. She is in the Hofstra University Hall of Fame. From 2005 to 2016, Murphy was instrumental in the resurgence of the women’s national basketball team, helping Canada become one of the best in the world. She was spotted at an open try out by the Team Canada coach, and made the senior national team that would go to the Olympics.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity

What has sport meant to you and to your life?

I’m somebody who gets emotional pretty quickly so I don’t say it lightly when I say that sport saved my life. It really did. I come from an amazing family who believed in the importance of sport. My father who is now legally blind was a basketball player, and my mom grew up wishing to take part in sport, but never really having the chance. My parents had three kids. We were all going to be quite tall, all of us now over six feet, and my  mom’s dream was for us to grow up feeling comfortable in our bodies. Both my parents knew they wanted sport to be a part of family life, and pretty quickly had all three kids enrolled in almost all of the sports offered in our city. My dad put up a basketball net in our front yard off the driveway, we played soccer in the back, and did gymnastics all over the house. All of that helped me become one of the best shooters in Canada.

I had an amazing experience at Hofstra University in the NCAA, one that helped me get to the Olympic stage, but it was also very intense and for many reasons unhealthy. When I started playing for Team Canada, I found an environment where I could be myself and pursue excellence with an incredible group of people. I’m someone who brings the energy.  I have an intensity about me and that got me into trouble at times. I was hot and cold, wore my heart on my sleeve and didn’t really know how to foster that. When I got to the national team, I was suddenly celebrated for that same energy, for being the heart and soul and leader of the team. That’s why I say sport saved my life, because I went from this place of total self doubt and unhealthy training methods to realizing I have something the world needs, and a shared common goal to grow women’s basketball in Canada.

You had a long successful career on the national team and played professionally in many countries including as a star in France.  What led you to the COC?

I was ready to go back to France when I got a random e-mail in 2017 asking me if I wanted to be part of the Canada C3 expedition, part of the Canada 150 project.  It was a retired icebreaker ship that sailed around Canada’s three coasts all the way to Victoria in 150 days. I was invited as an athlete. On the ship we had teachers, parents, scientists, Indigenous leaders, and really promising youth doing cool things in their schools. It was a life-changing experience to increase understanding  about reconciliation, community and protection of the environment. In my time from PEI to Newfoundland, we visited First Nations communities, protected parks and learned a lot about the environment on Canada’s East Coast. I hadn’t learned about residential schools before that trip because it wasn’t something we were taught in school.  One of my good friends on the ship was  Marie Wilson, who was one of the three commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.  When we visited those communities, I instantly connected to people there because of basketball and many people’s shared love of the game. While off the coast on the Atlantic Ocean, I actually called my agent and said I wasn’t going back to France. It was on that ship I realized there’s more to life and that while basketball has been incredible to me, my heart wasn’t in it to keep performing at the highest level. I’m someone that wants to have an impact. It is maybe the thing that has defined everything I do. I wanted to be back in Canada and to make a difference here.

I was also part of the RBC Olympians program at that time, which connected me to 200 schools in Quebec and around Canada.  I went around getting kids to try basketball and got them to believe in themselves.  I found that work so fulfilling.  It was through one of my RBC Olympians events that I ran into my Game Plan advisor, helping me with my transition out of sport.  She connected me to Eric Myles, Chief of Sport at the COC, and they both said now that you’re home, you should work in sport. We have some jobs available, you should apply. I wasn’t sure, but felt like this was a sign and something I had to explore and that led me here.

Tell us about your role?

I’ve been very fortunate to be promoted through the ranks four times.  I’m now Director of Sports System and Athlete Relations.  It’s part of the System Excellence team within the Sport Department at the Canadian Olympic Committee. We work with National Sport Organizations on improving things like their governance, safe sport, their athlete relations and how the athlete voice is showing up in their organizations.  We also assist them with the pipeline of their leadership, plus their diversity, equity and inclusion.  Since 2013, the COC has invested more than $40 million to help NSOs on these important initiatives.

What did you learn from your basketball career that you bring into your role today, especially with respect to resources, with National Sport Organizations currently facing dire straits and asking for increased federal funding?

My basketball experience taught me a lot.  Winning the gold medal at the Pan American games in Toronto in 2015 was pretty cool. We beat the US for the first time. Looking back at my career, the thing that I’m most proud of is everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve strived to leave it in a better place than when I found it. When I joined the national team in 2005, we were not doing well.  We hadn’t been to an Olympics in years.  There was very little funding.  Our staff had to get very creative to find training opportunities and people to help us get to the world class stage we all believed we belonged on. With very little resourcing, our group fought and qualified for the London 2012 Olympics. When I finished my career, we were fifth in the world and the sport now has increased resources after many challenging years.

This story of under-resourcing is unfortunately very common in sports. I can tell you that national sport organizations are not exaggerating when they say they are struggling.  The budget for these organizations has not gone up in a number of years, even to keep up with inflation.  I think the thing that makes me pretty good at my job is that I have seen it from both a have and have not sport lens. I went from being part of the really hard stuff that happens to sports that have financial constraints to then qualifying for the Olympics and being part of a sport that’s more adequately resourced.  I very quickly learned the realities that national sport organization leaders are facing. In a sports system that is under-resourced, it is impossible to succeed everywhere.  Some organizations are having to make very difficult decisions daily about their staffing, competition schedules or development in order to keep the lights on.

We’re seeing a new era for women’s basketball, hockey and other professional sports.  How do you feel witnessing that now and what still remains to be seen on that front?

I’m not surprised and SO happy. We all know the value and quality of women’s sports and this is a moment in time that will be pivotal for generations to come here in Canada.  When I played professionally in France, we had a sold out arena for almost every game. I feel like it’s about time we have these leagues in Canada as well where women can build incredible legacies right here on home soil. And for that, I am so happy to have transitioned to a fan and parent supporting and taking it all in from the sidelines.   

Meanwhile, on frozen water, William Dandjinou’s season of dominance on the ISU Short Track World Tour continued with two more gold medals. Speaking of dominance, the Canadian ski cross team kicked off its FIS World Cup season with five podium performances. Elsewhere, there was a big breakthrough for a couple of young cross-country skiers and history was made at the FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup.

Read on for all the notable news from a very busy weekend for Team Canada athletes.

Swimming: McIntosh’s three world records lead Canada’s launch to LA28

Canadian swimmers won 15 medals (four gold, five silver, six bronze) at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Budapest, Hungary, matching the country’s best ever medal total at the short course worlds. Canada ranked second only to the United States for most medals won over the six-day meet.

READ: Summer McIntosh shatters another world record at World Aquatics Swimming Championships

Leading the way was Summer McIntosh, who won gold in the women’s 400m freestyle, 200m butterfly, and 400m individual medley while setting world record times in all of them. She added a silver medal in the 200m backstroke (her first time ever racing the event internationally) and helped the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay capture bronze. At the end of the meet, McIntosh was named World Aquatics Female Athlete of the Year, which also recognized her three gold and one silver won at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Mary-Sophie Harvey also got an individual accolade, being named World Aquatics Female Breakout Athlete of the Year. Harvey won silver in the women’s 200m freestyle after taking bronze in the 400m freestyle for her first individual world championship medal. She was also part of three relay medals in Budapest.

“It’s something I’ve dreamed for as long as I can remember, and to have that at 25, I think it just shows that you can have your breakout meet at any age. I’m hoping it inspires athletes, even if you’re not maybe the best in the world at 15 or 16, you can still do it later in life,” she said.

Ilya Kharun joined McIntosh as a gold medallist, winning the men’s 200m butterfly. He also won silver in the 50m butterfly to go with three relay medals. Kylie Masse won bronze in the women’s 50m backstroke, giving her 20 career medals across the short course (11) and long course (9) world championships, the most all-time by a Canadian swimmer. Ingrid Wilm won bronze in the women’s 100m backstroke along with four relay medals. Finlay Knox added bronze in the men’s 200m individual medley as well as three relay medals.

Short Track Speed Skating: Dandjinou leads Canada with double gold

Team Canada collected an impressive eight medals, including four gold, at the fourth stop of the ISU Short Track World Tour in Seoul, South Korea.

William Dandjinou won two of those gold medals, starting on Saturday with his third 1500m victory of the season. On Sunday, he claimed his second 1000m win of the season. The 23-year-old Canadian has enjoyed a dominant first half of the season and now leads the men’s overall classification by 326 points over the defending Crystal Globe winner, Park Jiwon of South Korea. Dandjinou also leads the 1000m and 1500m standings.

Steven Dubois also got a gold medal on Saturday, winning the men’s 500m just ahead of silver medallist teammate Jordan Pierre-Gilles. Dubois bounced back after being disqualified from the 1500m final, in which he had posted the second-fastest time, for making an inside pass. With two wins and two runner-up finishes in the distance this season, Dubois leads the 500m standings.

READ: Canada strikes gold three times at short track World Tour in Seoul

On the women’s side, Canada won its third straight gold medal in the 3000m relay. For Danaé Blais, it was her second medal on Saturday after winning silver in the 1000m, her second consecutive podium in the distance. She was joined in the relay final by Kim Boutin, Florence Brunelle, and Courtney Sarault. On Sunday, Brunelle won her second consecutive silver medal in the 500m to help her rank third overall in the distance.

Canada also won bronze in the mixed relay. Boutin, Brunelle, Dandjinou and Dubois initially finished fourth in that final, but moved onto the podium after the Dutch team was penalized for an infringement against the Canadians.

The Canadian Ice Maples maintain their lead in the Team Crystal Globe standings, with a margin of 668 points over the second place Korean White Tigers. The ISU Short Track World Tour resumes in February with two European stops in Tilburg, Netherlands and Milan, Italy.

Ski Cross: Thompson and Drury on podium twice at World Cup opener

Marielle Thompson was on the podium twice at the FIS Ski Cross World Cup opener in Val Thorens, France. She won the first women’s race on Thursday before finishing third in Friday’s big final, which meant she shared the podium with teammate India Sherret who won that second race. In a show of Canada’s depth, Sherret had won the small final on Thursday while Hannah Schmidt raced in both small finals, giving Canada a total of six top-eight finishes.

READ: India Sherret takes World Cup victory, Marielle Thompson and Kevin Drury repeat on podium

Kevin Drury finished third in both men’s races, a great boost for him after a few years beset by injuries. On Thursday, he just beat out teammate Reece Howden for the last spot on the podium. Drury had last earned a World Cup podium in January 2022.

The Canadian ski cross team will be right back at it, with another set of World Cup races on Tuesday in Arosa, Switzerland.

Snowboard Cross: Grondin just off podium in World Cup opener

Eliot Grondin finished fourth in the big final at the opening stop of the FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup season in Cervinia, Italy. The 23-year-old is the reigning Crystal Globe winner after seven events among 10 podiums during the 2023-24 season. His next World Cup race will not be until the first days of February after a late January stop had to be cancelled.

Cross-Country Skiing: Top 5 in women’s team sprint for Schmidt & Gagnon

Sonjaa Schmidt and Liliane Gagnon enjoyed a big breakout moment at the FIS Cross-Country World Cup in Davos, Switzerland, finishing fifth in the women’s team sprint free. They were just 0.68 back of a podium position.

Schmidt, who turned 22 two days later, and Gagnon, who will turn 22 just before the calendar flips to 2025, are still gaining experience on the top international circuit. It is the first time either have earned a top five World Cup finish. Back in February, Schmidt became U23 world champion in the women’s sprint free.

Ski Jumping: Third top 10 of season for Loutitt

Alexandria Loutitt finished eighth in the second women’s individual normal hill event of the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup weekend in Zhangjiakou, China. Her score of 191.9 put her 8.7 points back of a podium position. It was a great improvement from her 12th place finish in the first normal hill event the day before. Loutitt has been inside the top 10 in three of four World Cup events this season.

READ : Ski jumpers Abigail Strate and Alexandria Loutitt are making their dreams take flight

Bobsleigh: Lotholz again in monobob top 10

For the second straight week, Melissa Lotholz earned a 10th-place finish in women’s monobob, this time at the IBSF World Cup stop in Sigulda, Latvia. She was also the top Canadian pilot in the two-woman event, finishing 12th with brakewoman Leah Walkeden, one spot ahead of Cynthia Appiah and Skylar Sieben.

3×3 Basketball: Canadian women win AmeriCup, men make first podium appearance

Paige Crozon earned MVP honours as Canada claimed its second ever women’s title at the FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup. Crozon led all players in scoring with 46 points. With Katherine Plouffe, Kacie Bosch, and Saicha Grant-Allen alongside her, Canada defeated the United States 19-18 in overtime to win the tournament. Former world number one Plouffe got the game winning point. Canada had previously won the title in 2022 and finished third in 2021 and 2023.

The Canadian men’s team of Marek Klassen, Steve Sir, Jerome Desrosiers, and Grant Audu defeated the Dominican Republic 21-16 in their final game to take the bronze medal. It is Canada’s first ever 3×3 AmeriCup podium in the men’s tournament. Sir was named to the tournament all-star team.

In May 2024 in Hungary, Kacie Bosch, Katherine and Michelle Plouffe and I defeated the hometown team in a must-win game, making history as Canada’s first ever 3X3 Basketball team to qualify for the Olympic Games. It is a dream come true.

Throughout our journey, donor support has created so many opportunities. It removes barriers. It makes playing possible. It is priceless.

You can continue to make a difference as we pursue our Olympic dreams and beyond with a donation today.

In 2018, after having my daughter, Poppy, I decided to step away from the 5X5 game, and around that time, Katherine and Michelle did the same. When the IOC announced that 3X3 would make its’ Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, we saw our chance. Our vision of playing in the Olympic Games, of representing Canada in 3X3 basketball, was within reach.

We formed a team and immediately we just clicked. We spent the summer of 2019 travelling the world, playing in a series of tournaments, and earning ranking points. We paid our own way, organized our own travel, and finished the season ranked 18th in the world. A quirky FIBA rule kept us from being able to enter the Olympic qualifier for Tokyo 2020 but it was an incredible summer and we were not deterred. We knew it was not sustainable for us to continue to self-fund our Olympic dream.

As the sport became more established, Canada Basketball offered support and on a personal front, I received one of the Canadian Olympic Foundation’s Murphy Family Awards in 2023. As a single parent, I work two full-time jobs to continue to play and keep a roof over our heads. Receiving direct funding allowed me to continue competing.

I now am so proud to be representing Canada in women’s 3X3 basketball at the Olympic Games. 3X3 has this amazing feel. It is fun and fastpaced. The 10-minute games are played on a half-court with both teams attacking and defending the same hoop. With the furious action on court and a DJ courtside, the atmosphere is electric but the smaller venue means a more intimate experience for the fans. One thing I love most about 3X3 – anyone can play. You just need to grab a few friends, a basketball, and get to your local hoop.

The interest in 3X3 aligns with the burgeoning popularity of women’s basketball in general. I am so proud to be a part of this evolution. Seeing so many fans invested, excited about the game, and supporting women’s sport, is incredible. We are thrilled to have qualified for Paris 2024.

When we arrive in Paris this summer, we will be in peak form and ready to take on the world. And get ready to cheer us on as the countdown for Paris 2024 begins in earnest.

Sincerely,

Reaction shots

Moments captured where athletes achieved a goal, realized a dream, or were overcome with emotions.

Family, friends, fans

Behind every Team Canada athletes is an army of friends, family and fans who’ve helped them get to the Games.

Game faces

Shots of athletes in the zone.

It was all a blur

The Games go by quickly, and sometimes our Team Canada photographers tried capture that vibe.

Action shots

Perhaps the most quintessential type of sport photo is…the action shot.

Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls need skill, a relentless work ethic, and a determination to be the best at what they do – factors that are often aided by their coaches. Canada’s Olympians and Paralympians of the future also need something else: funding, which is what Petro-Canada FACE (Fuelling Athlete and Coaching Excellence) grants help provide.

Since 1988, Petro-Canada has supported over 3,500 Canadian athletes and their coaches by providing more than $14 million in financial support.

This year, 55 athlete-coach pairs were awarded $10,000 each in their pursuit of reaching the Olympic or Paralympic Games. Here’s a look at some of their stories, including how the FACE grants could make a big difference.

Agot Makeer – Basketball

Agot Makeer wants to make the summer of her 21st birthday a special one.

Makeer will turn 21 just a couple months before the start of Los Angeles 2028 – where she hopes to be part of Team Canada’s women’s basketball team. She’ll soon join Canada’s squad for the upcoming FIBA Under-17 Women’s Basketball World Cup and then prepare for her third and final season at Crestwood Preparatory Academy, a school where her career has taken off.

It was at Crestwood where Makeer began working with coach Marlo Davis. Under Davis, Makeer went from 60th overall on ESPN’s college basketball 2025 recruiting rankings to the top-10. She’s received offers from over 40 NCAA Division I schools.

“What is special about Agot is her ability to rise to the level of any competition,” said Davis, who has coached Crestwood to four Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association titles in the last five seasons. “When in the U.S. she is out playing all the athletes that are supposed to be the best in her class in the nation.”

Davis plans to use the Petro-Canada FACE grant to attend more coaching clinics. Makeer, meanwhile, will use her grant to pay for accommodations while attending Crestwood in Toronto along with the costs of travelling to the city from her family home in Thunder Bay. She’ll also be using the grant to help further finalize her Canadian citizenship.

“Still, the ability to play for Canada and to play internationally, is my biggest goal,” said Makeer, who was born in North Dakota. “These funds will help offset those costs.”

Erik Siksna – Volleyball

Having completed his university playing career at Queen’s, Erik Siksna is taking his talents to Belgium where he’ll play his first professional season this year.

While the 23-year-old won’t be playing in Canada this season, he still hopes to one day help his country qualify for and compete at an Olympic Games. Siksna plans to use the Petro-Canada FACE grant to help pay for travel and accommodations to attend national team
events, purchase training equipment, sports medicine and therapy, and cover the costs of living abroad.

“One of my proudest accomplishments was getting to represent Canada at several national team events over the years, including the Under-21 World Championships back in 2021,” said Siksna. “Being able to represent the country alongside so many talented players and coaches is such a tremendous honour and opportunity, and every opportunity I’ve had to wear a Canadian jersey has been nothing short of an amazing experience.”

Despite his parents both being volleyball players, Siksna didn’t start taking up the sport until the age of 12. It’s stuck with him since.

In his final season at Queen’s, Siksna helped the Gaels finish fourth at the U Sports Men’s Volleyball Championship. Siksna credits coach Gabe deGroot for much of his – and the team’s – success.

“Gabe and I have a very strong relationship that has allowed us to work very well together,” explained Siksna. “We have built a lot of trust in each other over the years, and I have the utmost trust and faith in him as a coach and mentor for myself and our entire team.”

deGroot noted that having high quality players like Siksna on the team has helped the program reach new levels of success.

“Erik has been instrumental in my success as a coach,” said deGroot, who plans to use his grant for training equipment and travel to better his recruiting and professional development. “Being able to recruit a talented player like Erik at the start of my coaching career helped push our team and program to new heights. Erik has been the top point scorer for our team the last three years and has helped us reach some of our biggest goals. Erik does this all while being a great leader and captain for our program.”

Myla Plett – Curling

Curler Myla Plett doesn’t have to look too far for inspiration. Often times it’s right beside her.

“Rachel Homan has been one of my biggest inspirations this year,” said Plett of the two-time Olympian. “We practice beside her all the time and it is easily seen how much dedication she has to the sport. With three kids and a husband, Rachel still makes time to practice nearly every day while still giving younger teams, such as my own, pointers on what we can do to be better. Rachel won the women’s worlds and is a very strong athlete.”

Plett began curling when she was five-years-old and opted to stop playing other sports to focus solely on it. Her time and dedication has paid off, winning two national championships at the under-18 level and another at the under-20 level. She also finished fourth with Team Canada at the World Junior Curling Championships.

Coach Blair Lenton believes younger curlers may soon be looking up to Plett the way she does Homan.

“Myla is a competitor and loves to win,” said Lenton, who has coached Plett for the past five years. “She is always looking for ways to get better and improve her skills to achieve success. I enjoy working with her as she keeps me looking for ways to help her get to the next level. She is always polite and definitely someone that younger generations can look up to as a role model in the sport.”

Plett dreams of one day competing for Canada at an Olympic Winter Games and Women’s Women’s Curling Championship.

Both plan to use their Petro-Canada FACE grants to help with the costs of travel to practices and events.

Lulu Lin – Figure Skating

It’s been quite a year for Lulu Lin, who finished 10th at the 2024 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships in March after capturing the Canadian junior national title in January.

“I am proud of myself because I was able to overcome the challenges of growth and injury,” Lin said about her recent accomplishments. “I also developed a stronger mental game with the help from my sports psychologist and my coaches this year.”

Lin began skating at age four and began taking private lessons from coach Paul Parkinson a couple years later.

“A huge factor in Lulu’s success is her ability to apply corrections and repeat those corrections while she is training by herself,” explained Parkinson. “She takes all the information from her coaches to heart and makes sure she is always training with those thoughts. I enjoy working with Lulu because she is incredibly coachable.”

Parkinson wants to help Lin reach the next level. He plans to use the Petro-Canada FACE grant to travel and mentor under different coaches around Canada and the world to gain knowledge of different coaching processes.

Lin, whose goal is to compete for Canada at the 2030 Olympic Winter Games, will use her grant to pay for a three-week trip to Japan where she plans to learn new techniques and acquire new, advanced jump elements. She’ll be learning from experienced Japanese coaches from MF Academy who have taught some of the world’s top figure skaters.

Ella MacPhee – Mountain Biking

Biking, skiing, running, soccer, biathlon, sailing, dancing – you name it and Ella MacPhee has likely competed in it.

A well-rounded athlete, it wasn’t until late 2021 that she dove into mountain biking. She says it was love at first sight.

“With mountain biking, you can push your limits physically, mentally, technically and tactically,” explained MacPhee. “Venues and conditions change, creating so many opportunities for athletes to excel. This keeps racing super exciting and always has you at your limit. Doing this amongst an incredible network of people makes it even better.”

The British Columbia native has quickly found success in the sport at the under-23 level, posting a number of top-10 finishes internationally already this season. MacPhee plans to use the Petro-Canada FACE grant towards World Cup travel and training bikes.

MacPhee’s ultimate goals are to win a world championship and represent Canada at the Olympic Games – something her coach, Catharine Pendrel, knows a thing or two about. Pendrel competed in four Olympics with Team Canada and won bronze in mountain bike at Rio 2016.

Pendrel plans to use her grant towards travel that will allow for her and MacPhee to train in optimal conditions ahead of Los Angeles 2028.

“Ella is one of the most engaged athletes that I work with,” said Pendrel. “She has a lot of questions, is very coachable, but is also
feisty and an independent thinker. You know that every time Ella lines up to race she will give 100%.”

Eli Bouchard – Snowboarding

Snowboarder Eli Bouchard believes anything is possible if you work hard enough at it.

Bouchard began snowboarding with his family when he was just one-and-a-half-years-old. He started competing at age five and three years later landed his first double backflip – the youngest known snowboarder to ever land the trick. More recently, the 16-year-old won a gold and a silver medal at the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

He hopes to be part of Team Canada at future World Cups, Winter X Games and Olympic Winter Games.

Bouchard plans to use his Petro-Canada FACE grant on helping to fund his off-season training. He wants to be perfect when he hits the snow this season.

Coach Max Hénault has been coaching Bouchard since he was seven-years-old. Hénault’s goal is to get his athlete into the Olympics.

“What’s special about my athlete is their unwavering dedication, exceptional talent, and relentless pursuit of excellence,” said Hénault, who will use his grant towards professional development. “They possess a unique combination of skill, athleticism, and determination that sets them apart from their peers. What I particularly enjoy about working with my athlete is their passion for the sport and their willingness to embrace challenges and push boundaries.”

Amelia Gagne – Archery

Amelia Gagne was nine-years-old when she first tried archery.

“I had been wanting to try ‘bow and arrow’ for a couple of years before I was old enough to even try it since our local range had a minimum age requirement for lessons,” explained Gagne. “My dad knew someone that worked at the range and got me in with a private lesson and I enjoyed it so much that I keep pursuing it.”

Gagne says her biggest accomplishment is making the Canadian senior team for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games. She says that experience allowed her to gain helpful advice from her teammates and the Petro-Canada FACE grant will help her with travel expenses to more events.

Gagne and coach Jessica Watson have only been working together for six months – but the relationship has already been beneficial. The goal for both is to get Gagne qualified for Los Angeles 2028.

“This relationship has helped me work through so many mental barriers that I had developed over the past couple of years,” said Gagne. “Without Jess’ help, I do not believe I would be progressing at the level that I am and I am so grateful to her for all that she has done for me.”

Watson plans to use the grant on training equipment, travel expenses and membership fees.

Here are all of the athletes and coaches who have received Petro-Canada FACE grants in 2024:

Specifically, we’re thinking about Canadian athletes who made their Olympic debut in Paris and appear ready to make an even bigger splash four years from now.

Women’s Soccer

Suffice to say the Paris Games didn’t turn out the way the women’s national soccer team would have hoped. But they did provide the chance for two young players to show why they’ll likely be mainstays by the time LA 2028 rolls around.

In fact, 21-year-old defender Jade Rose is already somewhat of a mainstay; she played every minute of Canada’s four games at these Olympics. Meanwhile, 20-year-old midfielder Simi Awujo started in the all-important quarterfinal against Germany.

Both showed composure beyond their years, and it’s hard to believe this will be the only Olympic appearance of their careers.

Rugby Sevens

Canada’s unexpected run to the silver medal in women’s rugby sevens is all the more remarkable when you consider how young the team is. Seven of the 12 players are under 25, all of whom made their Olympic debuts this year.

Given the team’s suddenly high-profile status, it’s tough to call any of them “rising” stars; they have, after all, already risen. And despite their ages, many have been with the team for years and established their on-field bonafides.

Even so, for on-field impact in front of audiences who may not have known them before, we’ll give a nod to 23-year-old Piper Logan (four tries) and 21-year-old Chloe Daniels (two tries, five conversions).

Fencing

While the focus was on Eleanor Harvey‘s historic bronze medal in individual foil, she wasn’t the only Canadian taking to the piste at the Grand Palais.

Yunjia Zhang, 16, held her own alongside Harvey in the team foil event, in which Canada came up just short of another bronze medal. A mention here as well to Jessica Guo who, despite being in her second Olympics, is still just 19.

READ: ‘Bittersweet’ fourth-place finish won’t break fencing team’s ‘powerful’ bond

Athletics

There were some eye-catching medal wins for Canada in athletics at these Games. But there were also some athletes who may have laid the groundwork for their own big moments down the line.

Earlier this year, Christopher Morales-Williams, as a 19-year-old, ran a world’s best time of 44.49 seconds in the indoor men’s 400m. It wasn’t ratified as a world record due to a technical issue, but it raised hopes for his performance in Paris.

Morales-Williams turned 20 during his Olympic debut and reached the semifinal of the men’s 400m. He didn’t run his best race (45.25) at the end of a long and exhausting collegiate season but the future still looks bright.

Another newly-arrived sprinting star is Audrey Leduc, who in April broke a 36-year-old Canadian 100m record. She lowered it again in her first round heat.

Another birthday celebrant in Paris was 21-year-old Savannah Sutherland. The Olympic newcomer reached the final of the women’s 400m hurdles, finishing seventh in a race where a new world record was set. She also ran Canada’s fastest leg in the final of the women’s 4x400m relay, in a time of 50.06 seconds.

Men’s Basketball

Despite losing in the quarterfinals, Canada proved in their first Olympic appearance in 24 years that they can compete with the best.

Canada fielded a younger roster than most of the field, led by point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. While SGA has become a household name in basketball circles, these Games helped introduce the likes of RJ Barrett and Andrew Nembhard.

Barrett, son of former Olympian Rowan Barrett, provided consistent scoring and shooting for Canada. Nembhard, meanwhile, had his breakout game against Spain in the final game of the pool play. His 18 points included some clutch buckets that helped Canada clinch top spot in Group A.

Women’s Basketball

Though it was a tough tournament for the team, Canada got a glimpse of what to expect from 22-year-old Aaliyah Edwards. She played a key role in this competition, especially on the glass, grabbing 14 rebounds in three games.

Syla Swords became Canada’s youngest ever Olympic basketball player at age 18. She averaged a modest 3.3 points per game, but was a central part of the rotation for Canada, averaging nearly 21 minutes per game.

Canoe Sprint

While Katie Vincent achieved her dream of winning Olympic gold in the women’s C-1 200m, she wasn’t the only Canadian in the final. Sophia Jensen, a 22-year-old in her first Olympics, finished sixth—less than a second behind her more experienced teammate.

That was Vincent’s second medal at Paris 2024. Her first, a bronze in the women’s C-2 500m, came alongside another 22-year-old up-and-comer, Sloan Mackenzie.

Swimming

Canada once again had a big Games in the pool, headlined by Olympic veterans such as Summer McIntosh and Kylie Masse. But a number of first-time Olympians made their impacts as well.

Can we really call 19-year-old Ilya Kharun a “rising” star, given that he won two medals in Paris? Well, we will, given that he only competed in his first major international swim meet just two years ago.

Julie Brousseau and Ella Jansen, both 18, came up just short of their own medals as part of the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay team.

Wrestling

It was an impressive first Olympics for 24-year-old Ana Godinez Gonzalez. Competing in the women’s freestyle 62kg event, she notched a fifth-place finish in Paris after making it all the way to a bronze medal match.

Gonzalez is the oldest of the rising stars we’ve named here. But as Carol Huynh and Daniel Igali have shown us in the past, there’s definitely precedent for Canadian wrestlers in their late 20s hitting the Olympic podium for the first time.

After going 3-0 in the group stage, Canada came out flat against France, and despite a valiant comeback attempt, lost by a score of 82-73.

France was aggressive on defence as Canada’s offence sputtered, and the electric crowd at Bercy Arena in Paris seemingly rattled the Canadians early on. They missed shots, forced passes, and for the first time in the tournament, looked out of sync on both ends.

France led by 13 after the first quarter, and the lead grew to 19 to begin the second half. Canada got to within five, but could not close the gap.

With 1:46 left in the game and Canada down seven, France rebounded two of their own missed threes before Evan Fournier drained a heave from well behind the three-point line. France took 50 seconds off of the game clock in that possession alone, and with a 10-point lead, effectively sealed the win.

“They came out the aggressors,” said Shai-Gilgeous Alexander. “They punched us in the mouth.”

Canada’s last quarterfinal game at the Olympics came during their last appearance, 24 years ago in Sydney. Back then, they were led by Steve Nash, 26 years old at the time, emerging as one of the best young guards in the world of basketball, and poised to take Canada to the medal round.

They matched up against France, the eventual silver medal-winning team, and were outscored 38-23 in the first half. They tried to mount a comeback in the second half, but could not close the gap, losing by five points.

Canada went on to miss the next five Olympic Games in men’s basketball, until they returned this year.

Unfortunately for Team Canada and its fans, history repeated itself on Tuesday.

France came out with all the intensity and execution needed to take control of the game.

They put Victor Webanyama, Guerschon Yabusele and Mathias Lessort in post-ups against smaller Canadian defenders, and bludgeoned their way to the rim, drawing fouls and finding shooters when the defence collapsed.

Gilgeous-Alexander – Canada’s 26-year-old star point guard – would provide some hope in the second quarter. With Canada’s offence halted, he got into the lane and hit his patented mid-range jumpers. He stepped back into a corner three, catching France’s defence sagging. He scored 11 straight points, cutting the lead to 10, just to give fans a chance to breathe.

But France was relentless, closing the second quarter on an 8-2 run to take a 16-point lead to halftime.

France shot 25 free throws to Canada’s eight in the first half, as the Canadians could not defend without fouling.

“Obviously we knew that the home crowd would help,” said head coach Jordi Fernandez. “Obviously there was big free throw disparity that didn’t help either.”

Things improved for Canada in the second half. SGA continued to score and draw free throws. Some good minutes from Khem Birch and Trey Lyles helped match France’s size.

At the start of the fourth, RJ Barrett scored a quick five points to cut the lead to six — the closest it had been since the opening minutes.

With two minutes to go, Lu Dort turned defence into offence with an emphatic steal and lay-up, cutting it to five with 2:04 left.

“We kept fighting and kept coming. When you’re shooting free throws to cut it to (four points), that means, where I come from, that means ‘fight’,” said Fernandez.

But Canada could not fight their way back into the lead.

Canada gave France extra possessions late by failing to secure defensive rebounds. Two Evan Fournier threes in the fourth provided the dagger.

Canada shot just 38% as a team, and an even worse 24% from three.

“Offensively I thought it was our most selfish game,” said Fernandez. “For us it’s always been playing with pace, touching the paint and reversing the basketball. That’s what we’ve done for the most part, but not in the game you have to win to stay in the tournament.”

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a team-high 27 points on 9-for-19 shooting, while Barrett added 16 points, capping off an impressive tournament for both players. The rest of the team struggled offensively, shooting a combined 27%.

In the end, Canada finishes their first Olympic Games in 24 years in fifth place.

“They played better than us. They played harder than us. That’s what happens when you let teams get out to a good start,” said SGA post-game.

When asked why Canada started out the way they did, SGA responded:

“Honestly, I have no clue. We all wanted to win – I don’t know why we started like that, but we did.”

Team Canada Athletes Competing Today

Diving

Caeli McKay will compete in the final of the women’s 10m platform after placing seventh in Monday’s qualification round. That starts at 3:00 p.m. local / 9:00 a.m. ET.

Skateboarding

Team Canada’s youngest athlete at Paris 2024, Fay De Fazio Ebert, will compete in the women’s park prelims, beginning at 12:30 p.m. local / 6:30 a.m. ET. The top eight athletes will advance to the final, taking place at 5:30 p.m. local / 11:30 a.m. ET.

Track Cycling

Track cycling begins at 5:30 p.m. local / 11:30 a.m. ET. Erin Attwell, Ariane Bonhomme, Maggie Coles-Lyster and Sarah van Dam will take to the velodrome for the qualifying round of the women’s team pursuit.

In the first round of the men’s team sprint, Tyler Rorke, Nick Wammes and James Hedgcock will take on the Netherlands. Competition will continue over the course of the evening, with the podium decided starting at 8:05 p.m. local / 2:05 p.m. ET.

The Canadians will also race in the first round of the men’s team pursuit. Dylan Bibic, Mathias Guillemette, Michael Foley and Carson Mattern will take to the track at 7:14 p.m. local / 1:14 p.m. ET.

Athletics

Getting things started on the track on Day 11 are Lucia Stafford, Simone Plourde and Kate Current in the first round of the women’s 1500m, with heats beginning at 10:05 a.m. / 4:05 a.m. ET.

Craig Thorne will compete in the 110m hurdles repechage at 10:50 a.m. local / 4:50 a.m. 

At 11:20 a.m. local / 5:20 a.m. ET, Lauren Gale and Zoe Sherar will compete in the repechage heats for the women’s 400m. 

Aaron Brown and Brendon Rodney will compete in the men’s 200m repechage at 12:30 p.m. local / 6:30 a.m. ET.

Camryn Rogers will compete in the women’s hammer throw final beginning at 7:57 p.m. local time / 1:47 p.m. ET. She will be hoping to duplicate the performance of her counterpart in the men’s event, Ethan Katzberg, who claimed Canada’s first medal in athletics at Paris 2024 with a gold medal in the hammer throw.

Savannah Sutherland will compete in the women’s 400m hurdles semifinal at 8:07 p.m. local / 2:07 p.m. ET.

READ: Ethan Katzberg wins gold in men’s hammer throw

Basketball

Team Canada’s men’s basketball team will play in the quarterfinal against Team France at 6:00 p.m. / 12:00 p.m. ET.

Paris 2024 Competition Schedule

Artistic Swimming

Team Canada will compete in the team free routine at 7:30 p.m. / 1:30 p.m. ET. Team Canada consists of Scarlett Finn, Audrey Lamothe, Jonnie Newman, Raphaelle Plante, Kenzie Priddell, Claire Scheffel, Jacqueline Simoneau and Florence Tremblay. This is the second of three routines to count towards the team results. Canada sits seventh after the team technical routine.

Sailing

Sarah Douglas will compete in the medal race for the ILCA 6 class after taking the final qualifying spot after nine opening series races. After five races in the Formula Kite class, Emily Bugeja sits in 19th place. There are five races on the schedule for Tuesday.

Canoe/Kayak Sprint

Day 11 will see the canoe sprint competition hit the water at Paris 2024. Kicking it off for Team Canada will be Nicholas Matveev, Pierre-Luc Poulin, Laurent Lavigne and Simon McTavish who will race in the men’s K-4 500m heats, starting at 9:30 a.m. local / 3:30 a.m. ET. In the women’s K-4 500m, Courtney Stott, Natalie Davison, Riley Melanson and Toshka Besharah-Hrebacka will take to the water.

Katie Vincent and Sloan Mackenzie will race in the C-2 500m heats. Simon McTavish and Pierre-Luc Poulin will race in the heats of the men’s K-2 500m, while Natalie Davison and Courtney Stott will race in the women’s K-2 500m heats.

Water Polo

Team Canada will face off against Team Spain at 2:00 p.m. local / 8:00 a.m. ET in a women’s water polo quarterfinal.

Paris 2024 Info

Paris 2024

Paris 2024 torch design revealed

Paris 2024 Team Canada Qualification Tracker

Show More

Team Canada @ Paris 2024

Team Canada Olympic Roster – Paris 2024

Team Canada Medallists at Paris 2024

Paris 2024 Olympic Games Information Hub

Show More

Paris 2024 Competition Schedule

3×3 Basketball

Canada lost its semifinal and bronze medal match in 3×3 basketball and will leave Paris with a fourth place finish.

The quartet of Katherine Plouffe, Michelle Plouffe, Paige Crozon, and Kacie Bosch had high hopes of medalling in Canada’s first Olympic 3×3 basketball appearance, but came up short in two close and competitive games on Monday.

First they lost to the eventual gold medallists Germany by one point in the semifinal – a German basket in the dying seconds sealed a 16-15 win.

In the bronze medal game, Canada had an edge on the U.S., but gave up a 7-1 run in the closing minutes. The Americans won 16-13 to take bronze.

Canada finishes in fourth place with a 5-5 record. All five of their losses came to teams that qualified for the semifinal round.

Diving

Caeli McKay and Kate Miller competed in the preliminary round of the women’s 10m platform. McKay posted the third-highest score in the prelims, moving on to the semifinal. Miller placed 20th in the prelims, missing out on advancing to the semifinal by two spots. 

In the semifinal, McKay posted a score of 308.85 to place seventh, advancing her to the 12-person final on Tuesday.

“The job’s done for today. The job’s not done for the whole event,” said McKay. “I’m really happy I made the finals. It was a very up and down day. I had some good stuff. I had some not so great stuff. Overall, I was relatively consistent, which I was really happy with. I have a lot of stuff I can improve on, so I’m quite relieved with that.”

READ: McKay & Miller remain proud after fourth-place finish in 10m synchro at Paris 2024

Paris 2024 Olympic Games Information Hub

Athletics

Alysha Newman and Anicka Newell competed in the women’s pole vault qualification. Newman cleared 4.55m to move on to the final. Newell cleared 4.40m, and will not advance to the final.

In the first round of the men’s 3000m steeplechase, Jean-Simon Desgagnés ran an 8:25.28 to secure his place in the final.

In the first round of the men’s 200m Brendon Rodney ran a season’s best time of 20.30, but it was not enough for an auto-qualification, and he will move on to a repechage heat. Aaron Brown raced to a time of 20.36 in his heat, and will also advance to the repechage. Andre De Grasse secured himself a spot straight to the semifinals with a 20.30 by finishing second in his heat.

Zoe Sherar raced in the first round of the women’s 400m, running a time of 51.97. She will move on to a repechage heat. Lauren Gale also raced in the women’s 400m, running a time of 53.13. She will also move on to a repechage heat. 

Audrey Leduc and Jacqueline Madogo raced for Canada in the women’s 200m semifinals. Leduc clocked a 22.68 to finish sixth in her heat, while Madogo finished with a 22.81 to finish seventh in her heat. The last time Canada had two women in the 200m semifinal was 1976. Neither Leduc or Madogo advanced to the final.

Artistic Swimming

Canada is in seventh place after the team technical routine, the first of three routines that will count towards the final result. The Canadian team scored 262.4808 and look ahead to the free routine on Tuesday.

Beach Volleyball

Team Canada beach volleyball duo Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson took down the American team of Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth in two sets (21-19, 21-18). The Canadians now advance to the quarterfinals.

Wrestling

Linda Morais was the first Canadian wrestler to see action at Paris 2024. She was defeated 8-2 by Nigeria’s Blessing Oborududu in a 1/8 final in the women’s 68kg event.

Track Cycling

Kelsey Mitchell, Lauriane Genest, and Sarah Orban placed eighth in the final of the women’s team sprint.

Tyler Rorke, Nick Wammes, and James Hedgcock are ranked eighth after qualifying of the men’s team sprint heading into Tuesday’s first round.

The men’s team pursuit squad of Dylan Bibic, Mathias Guillemette, Michael Foley and Carson Mattern ranked eighth in qualification, which moves them onto the first round on Tuesday, but the best they can finish overall is fifth.

Sailing

Sarah Douglas finished 10th in the opening race series of the ILCA 6 class. She will compete in the medal race tomorrow, taking the final qualifying spot after nine races. After five races in the Formula Kite class, Emily Bugeja sits in 19th place.

Equestrian – Jumping

Team Canada was represented by Mario Deslauriers (Emerson), Erynn Ballard (Nikka Vd Bisschop) and Tiffany Foster (Figor) in individual jumping. Deslauriers was the top Canadian, finishing in 31st (74.93), followed by Ballard in 37th (76.60), and Foster in 50th (76.78). None of the Canadians will advance to the final.

Table Tennis

The Canadian men’s team of Eugene Wang, Edward Ly, and Jeremy Hazin was eliminated in the Round of 16 by Germany 3-0.

Paris 2024 Info

Paris 2024

Paris 2024 torch design revealed

Paris 2024 Team Canada Qualification Tracker

Show More

Team Canada @ Paris 2024

Team Canada Olympic Roster – Paris 2024

Team Canada Medallists at Paris 2024

Paris 2024 Olympic Games Information Hub

Show More

The game is played with a 12-second shot clock, buckets count for just one or two points, and games only last for 10 minutes.

It’s in these margins that Olympic hopes live and die, and Canada’s 3×3 women’s team — competitive right until the final whistle — walked away without a medal after losing the bronze medal match to the United States on Monday.

Canada looked to be in control at one point, leading 12-9 after a Katherine Plouffe bucket with 3:05 remaining.

But no lead in 3×3 is a sure thing. The U.S. came back with some big buckets of their own and shut down Canada’s offence when it mattered most. Turnovers, missed shots, and foul trouble down the stretch led to the U.S. closing out the game on a 7-1 run.

“So bittersweet because we were expecting to medal,” said Kacie Bosch, known as Canada’s energizer bunny, post-game.

“(My teammates) started this in 2019 without any funding, just completely on themselves, and brought us to an Olympic Games. To place fourth in our first ever appearance is something to be proud of.”

The quartet of Katherine Plouffe, Michelle Plouffe, Paige Crozon, and Kacie Bosch represented Canada as the first 3×3 team in the country’s history. 

Heading into Paris 2024, Canada held the No. 1 team ranking in 3×3 women’s basketball, backed by their success over the last few years, which included two consecutive FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series titles in 2022 and 2023. 

From the moment they stepped onto the court at La Concorde in Paris, they posed serious problems for their opponents.

They got off to a 3-1 start with wins against Australia, China, and France and looked every bit the medal hopefuls they promised to be.

On day four of 3×3 play, Canada suffered two losses in overtime to the U.S. and Spain.

First, it was Rhyne Howard who hit a difficult side-step two-pointer to give the U.S. a one-point win. Against Spain, with the game tied at 20 in the final seconds, Michelle Plouffe had a good look at a reverse lay-up in but missed it, forcing extra time. Canada didn’t even see the ball in overtime, as Spain’s Sandra Ygueravide nailed a two to win it.

Despite a +15 point differential, Canada was 3-3 and staring down a chance at missing the play-in round entirely.

They bounced back nicely, picking up a crucial win against Azerbaijan to clinch the play-in spot, and another statement win against Australia to get into the semifinals.

But against Germany, who went on to win gold, they endured another heartbreaking defeat. With the game tied at 15, Germany’s Sonja Greinacher drove inside and hit a tough lay-up with just a few seconds left. With the clock running, Canada tried to quickly kick the ball out to the perimeter and get a shot off, but it was too late.

In the bronze medal match, Canada jumped out to a 7-3 lead after Bosch got a corner two to go. But for each time Canada tried to pull away, the U.S. would pull back.

In the final minutes it looked as though for the first time in the tournament Canada was out of gas, and the U.S. took advantage.

“The journey has been quite special, and has really been, more than words can explain how much it has meant to us,” said Michelle Plouffe.

Canada finished with a record of 5-5, but outscored their opponents by a combined 24 points. There were statement wins, close losses, and a lot of competitive basketball. 

“We have called it the ultra-marathon of 3×3 tournaments,” said Crozon. “To play 10 games in five days is physically, mentally, emotionally so draining. But it’s the most amazing tournament to play in.”

After the win against Canada, Germany would go onto win the gold medal by just a point, 17-16 against Spain.

Canada’s 2028 3×3 team may look different, but coming within a possession of the gold medal game is proof they are right on the cusp of where they need to be.

“Are we satisfied?” Bosch asked. “No. I don’t know anybody in the world of sports who would be satisfied with a fourth place finish. We’re going to grow from it, we’re going to learn from it.”