Duisburg, Germany (June 5, 2021) – The Canadian men’s sitting volleyball team finished sixth in the Tokyo 2020 Final Paralympic Qualification Tournament, dropping its final game 3-2 in a hard-fought battle with the USA on Saturday.
“Despite the outcome, we now know what it takes to be competitive against the European teams,” said Canadian head coach Jeff Smith. “We also know that we have the tools to beat them. I’m proud of the way we carried ourselves the whole week.”
The Canadian men faced tough competition throughout the tournament, falling to Germany, Kazakhstan, and the Ukraine in straight sets to start the event. In the final preliminary game, Canada put up a strong fight against Croatia, taking them to the fifth set where Croatia pulled off a tight 15-13 victory.
“We had some teammates unable to travel due to COVID concerns and work issues but placed a lot of trust into the hands of players to learn some new roles,” Smith said. “Pressure is a privilege as some say and we embraced the opportunity to overcome and learn. Knowing we were so close only fuels the desire to continuously get better.”
Men’s head coach Jeff Smith reflects on qualifier: https://youtu.be/8i17uAheZWM
“The team is looking forward to getting back on the court as a group again and building from this past week.”
Germany earned a 3-1 victory over Kazakhstan in the gold medal game today, earning the final spot in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Only one team qualified for the Games from this tournament.
Canadian results:
June 1
GER vs CAN: 3-0 (25-7, 25-19, 25-16)
CAN vs KAZ: 0-3 (15-25, 8-25, 17-25)
June 3
UKR vs CAN: 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-20)
June 4
CAN vs CRO: 2-3 (25-17, 12-25, 25-22, 20-25, 13-15)
June 5
USA vs CAN: 3-2 (23-25, 26-24, 32-34, 25-21, 15-11)
More information: https://www.worldparavolley.org/world-paravolley-tokyo-2020-paralympic-games-mens-qualifier/
Athletes:
Doug Learoyd (Captain), Edmonton, AB
Austin Hinchey, Edmonton, AB
Darek Symonowicz, Toronto, ON
José Rebelo, Saint-Hubert, QC
Mikael Bartholdy, Calgary, AB
Bryce Foster, Thunder Bay, ON
Nasif Chowdhury, Toronto, ON
Brad Hunter, Thompson, MB
Staff:
Jeff Smith (Head Coach)
Taylor Dyer (Assistant Coach)
Tristan Simmonds (S&C/Assistant Coach)
Kiara Stasiuk (Physiotherapist)
Photo: World ParaVolley
Volleyball Canada media contact:
Jackie Skender
Mobile: 613.794.7676