May Snapshots: A roundup of local sports action

By Ottawa Sportspage

Joanna Brown claims podium finish in second WTS race of the season

Carp’s Joanna Brown won a bronze medal in her second World Triathlon Series (WTS) race of the season. The former Bytown Storm athlete also finished with top five times in both the bike and run portion of the race held in Bermuda in April. On her bike, she trailed only three top ten finishers by posting a time of 1:06:28, and was only slower than a single runner, by completing that part of the race in 34:37. It’s expected that she’ll compete close to home in the Montreal race of the WTS in Montreal at the end of June.

Team Canada squash vet heading to Pan-Am Games for a third time

Twenty-eight-year-old Samantha Cornett will participate in her third Pan Am Games this year after winning her fourth Canadian Women’s Open Championship in the sport of squash. Cornett, who is originally from Deep River, was the 34th ranked female squash player in the world in mid-May. Her participation at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games follows up appearances in 2011 and 2015.

Tyrone Henry wins silver medal at World Para Ice Hockey Championships

Ottawa’s Tyrone Henry was part of a Team Canada squad that finished in 2nd place at this year’s World Para Ice Hockey Championships. Henry’s Canada team lost 3-2 against the U.S. in overtime of the gold medal game in the championships held in the Czech Republic in May. Henry was also part of Canada’s team that similarly lost to the U.S. in overtime of the gold medal game at the 2018 Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang.

Ottawa Special Olympians win a dozen gold medals at World Games

Three Ottawa-area athletes combined to win 12 gold medals at March’s Special Olympic World Games in Abu Dhabi. Kimana Mar and Sophie Anne Lacourse-Pudifin each won gold medals in five separate rhythmic gymnastics events, while Michael Guyton placed 1st in his shot put and 100 metre divisions.

Kelleigh Ryan places 6th at first World Cup Olympic qualifier

Ottawa’s Kelleigh Ryan helped Canada’s top women’s foil team to a 6th place finish in their event at the first Olympic qualifying event for fencing. Canada’s team was bumped up to be ranked 7th overall in the world, thanks to their showing at the event held in Germany in May.

Women’s rugby 7s fail to qualify for Olympics at B.C. event

Canada’s women’s rugby 7s team – featuring Ottawa’s own Olivia de Couvreur – came up short of qualifying for the Olympics at a home-held tournament in May. Canada’s team finished 5th at the HSBC Canada Seven Series at Langford’s Westhills Stadium, in what was the second-to-last stop in the World Rugby Women’s Series. The team’s next shot to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games comes at a June tournament in France.

Woods off to hot start to season following Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Ottawa’s own Mike Woods got off to a solid start to the cycling season with a 5th place finish at Belgium’s single-day Liège-Bastogne-Liège in April. Woods, who won a bronze medal at the cycling world championships as well as a stage at the Vuelta a España last year, also placed 5th in points at Switzerland’s Tour de Romandie, which finished early in May.

10 Ottawa athletes chosen for Canada’s canoe and kayak teams

There will be 10 total Ottawa and area athletes representing Canada internationally in canoe and kayak events this summer. Canada’s entire senior canoe slalom team – featuring home grown paddlers Michael Tayler, Cameron Smedley and Lois Betteridge, and import Ben Hayward, who is originally from Edmonton but attends Carleton University and trains with the Ottawa River Runners – consists of strictly athletes with Ottawa ties. Betteridge will also compete in Under 23 events for Canada, where she’ll be joined by Ottawa products Maël Rivard and Keenan Simpson. Similar to Betteridge, Rivard will also pull double-duty this summer as a junior competitor as well. Fellow junior slalom paddlers Olivia Norman and Jean-Benoit Lemay are also from Ottawa. The nation’s capital will be represented by sprint athletes Madeleine Schmidt and Natalie Davison on the international stage this year.

Ottawa tendy defends the net for Canada at CONCACAF U17 Championships

Benjamin Collins was the only Ottawa player on Canada’s team that reached the semifinals of the 2019 CONCACAF Men’s Under-17 Championship. Collins started in net for Team Canada in two games: A 4-0 group stage win against Barbados and a 4-0 semifinals loss to the United States, who continued on to lose to Mexico in the event’s championship by a score of 2-1.

West Ottawa players scores invite to elite Canada Soccer camp

West Ottawa’s Keera Melenhorst was one of less than 30 Under-17 women’s soccer players from around the country who was invited to a six-day camp hosted by Canada Soccer in Markham as part of its ‘EXCEL’ program for elite players in May.