In 2021, the Canadian women's eight rowing team won a landmark gold medal at the Tokyo Summer Games. They've just earned an opportunity to defend that championship.
Last Sunday, Whistler's Cassidy Deane helped her country to a fifth-place finish at the World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. Canada finished the race in six minutes and 7.15 seconds, grabbing the final Olympic qualification spot from sixth-place Italy.
Romania claimed victory (6:01.28) ahead of the runner-ups from the United States (6:03.73) and Australia, which started fast and had enough gas in the tank for bronze (6:04.17). The Italians were the only team to miss out on qualifying for Paris 2024.
Joining Deane on the Canadian unit were Alexis Cronk, Kirsten Edwards, Kasia Gruchalla-Wesierski, Sydney Payne, Morgan Rosts, Jessica Sevick, Avalon Wasteneys and coxswain Kristen Kit.
Gruchalla-Wesierski, Kit, Payne and Wasteneys were part of the gold-medal squad in Tokyo.
