DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard
KAWARTHA LAKES: Team Canada, led by captain Emma Wright of Lindsay, wrapped up their journey at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games with an eighth-place finish in the women’s water polo tournament, concluding with a 10-7 loss against Greece on Friday, August 9th.
Greece, who had secured fourth place at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships, proved to be a challenging opponent as Canada struggled to maintain their momentum in the final game.
This marks Canada’s fourth appearance in women’s water polo at the Olympic Games, with previous finishes including 5th place in Sydney 2000, 7th place in Athens 2004, and 7th place in Tokyo 2020. Despite their disappointment, the team showed promise throughout the tournament, particularly in their crucial preliminary-round victory against China, which secured them a spot in the quarterfinals.
However, Canada faced tough competition in the quarterfinal round, where they were defeated by Spain, the silver medalists from Tokyo 2020. The team then fell to Italy, who had recently earned a bronze medal at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, in the Classification 5th-8th Place round. The final match against Greece was a battle, but the Canadians were unable to secure a win.
Team Captain Wright expressed her disappointment but also acknowledged the team’s efforts. “It’s definitely disappointing,” Wright said in a press release. “I don’t think we showed who we are as a team. I don’t think any of us had our best game, which is unfortunate. There were a lot of strong moments for sure. We showed in different quarters we had fight and we can play against these teams, but unfortunately, it wasn’t our tournament.”
Wright also emphasized the importance of Canada’s achievement in reaching the top eight. “We came here because we knew we were a top-eight team and we’ve proven that, and that’s important. Obviously, we wanted to place better. In Doha at Worlds, we’ve shown it, here we’ve shown it, and that’s good on our part.”
As Wright and the team look forward to future competitions, including the upcoming World Championships, they will undoubtedly carry the lessons learned from their Olympic experience in Paris.
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