Delta’s Kelsey Harshman and Team Canada will attempt to make history tonight at the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Canada will be looking for its first-ever podium finish in women’s softball as it takes on Mexico in the bronze medal game, scheduled to start at 9 p.m. (PDT). Softball returned to the Olympics following a hiatus at the Summer Games in London (2012) and Rio (2016). Canada’s previous best finish was fourth in Beijing in 2008.
Harshman, 24, has been a fixture at second base throughout the tournament, helping Canada go 3-2 in round-robin play. She went 2-for-3 at the plate with three runs in a 7-1 victory over Australia. She also went 1-for-4 with an RBI in an opening 4-0 win against Mexico.
The Canadians came ever-so-close to playing for gold, dropping a 1-0 extra inning heartbreaker to Japan on Sunday. They also fell 1-0 to the United States last week. Japan and the U.S. will play for gold later on tonight.
Meanwhile, Tsawwassen swimmer Markus Thormeyer nearly landed on the podium on Monday.
The 23-year-old former Winskill Dolphins’ standout swam the anchor leg in Canada’s fourth place finish in the men’s 4x100 freestyle relay. The team, which also featured Brent Hayden, Josh Liendo and Yuri Kisil, set a new Canadian record in a time of 3:10.82, breaking the old mark (3:12.26) set 13 years ago.
Thormeyer was a late addition to the team after placing 19th overall in the 100 metre backstroke and not advancing to the semi-finals. He will be back in the pool Tuesday night for 200 metre backstroke qualifying.
Ladner rower Maxwell Lattimer and Victoria’s Patrick Keane have advanced to Tuesday night’s lightweight men’s doubles semi-finals after finishing second in their repechage race on Sunday. The pair had opened up the competition with a third place finish in their initial heat on Saturday, narrowly missing an automatic berth to the semis.
Their race will take place at 7:10 p.m. (PDT) on Tuesday.
In men’s field hockey, Team Canada, featuring Tsawwassen’s Mark Pearson and Brendan Guraliuk, sit 0-2 in round-robin play after losses to Germany (7-1) and Great Britain (3-1). Up next is the Netherlands at 4:45 a.m. (PDT) on Tuesday.
In women’s water polo, featuring North Delta’s Gurpreet Sohi and Hayley McKelvey, Team Canada has opened play with losses to Australia (8-5) and Spain (14-10). It’s Canada first appearance at the Games since 2004.
