Judoka Nicolas Gill will carry the Canadian flag at the opening ceremonies of the 2004 Athens Games.
(Canadian Olympic Committee Release)

TORONTO-MONTREAL, July 19, 2004 - The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) today named two-time Olympic medallist, judoka Nicolas Gill, as Canada's flag bearer for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. Chef de Mission David Bedford joined Assistant Chef de Mission Nathalie Lambert and Canadian team athletes for the official team and flag bearer announcement during a ceremony held at the Hellenic Cultural Centre in Toronto this morning. A similar ceremony will be held at the Molson Canada building in Montreal at 3 p.m. this afternoon.

"I am extremely proud to have been chosen to carry the flag and lead Canada's Olympic team," said Gill via satellite from Belgium. "This is truly a special honour in what has been a very challenging year. I am now looking forward to representing my country as both the flag bearer and a competitor in Athens."

Gill, a Montreal native and sixth-degree Dan black belt, is heading to his fourth Olympic Games. He recently returned to competition from a serious knee injury suffered during an invitational meet in Moscow in November 2003 and is ready to compete in Athens. Gill's impressive career, which has made him a legend in many parts of the world, includes 10 national championships, a bronze medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona and a silver medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

Gill will be leading Canada's team into the Olympic Stadium in Athens for the 2004 Olympic Games opening ceremony on August 13, 2004. Canada's team will include 266 athletes (134 women and 132 men) competing in 28 disciplines. Equestrian Ian Millar has been named to a Canadian record ninth Olympic team.

Eleven athletes and two teams will also be returning to defend their medals from the 2000 Games in Sydney, including triathlete Simon Whitfield, wrestler Daniel Igali and tennis player Daniel Nestor (gold), judoka Nicolas Gill, paddler Caroline Brunet, diver Emilie Heymans (silver), Trampolinists Mathieu Turgeon and Karen Cockburn, paddler Steven Giles, Dominique Bosshart in taekwondo, the synchronized swimming team and the women's eight rowing team (bronze).

Several other members of the Canadian team are also returning for their fourth Olympic Games (race walker Tim Berrett, sailor Richard Clarke, paddlers David Ford and Steven Giles, judoka Nicolas Gill and cyclist Alison Sydor) or fifth (paddler Caroline Brunet). The complete list of Canada's 2004 Olympic team, as well as all background documents distributed at today's press conferences, is available at www.olympic.ca.

"The 2004 Olympic Games will provide a unique experience that highlights the Game's rich tradition and history," said Bedford. "As it is Canada's 100th anniversary of Olympic team participation, the entire Canadian team, including our athletes, coaches and mission staff, are committed to excellence as they head to Athens."

"It is a thrill to join David in leading the Canadian team in Athens," said Lambert, a three-time Olympic medallist in short-track speed skating. "I am looking forward to the roar of the crowd when the Canadian team marches into the stadium in Athens behind Nicolas. Although there were several worthy candidates for the flag bearer role, Nicolas stood out because of his long and successful career and his character on and off the field of play."

Gill was chosen to be the Canadian flag bearer by a selection committee comprising Bedford, Lambert, two winter athletes chosen by the COC Athletes Council Executive Committee and a coach appointed by the coaches' representative on the COC Executive Committee. Previous Canadian flag bearers include Caroline Brunet (Sydney 2000, kayak), Charmaine Crooks (Atlanta 1996, athletics), Michael Smith (Barcelona 1992, athletics), Carolyn Waldo (Seoul 1988, synchronized swimming) and Alex Baumann (Los Angeles 1984, swimming).

James Worrall, Canada's oldest living flag bearer, was also honoured during the Toronto announcement. Worrall, who carried Canada's flag and competed in track and field during the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, recently celebrated his 90th birthday on June 23, 2004, fittingly the date designated as International Olympic Day.

Christine Nordhagen dominates the 72kg division at Canada Cup.
(Coach Leigh Vierling)

The Canada Cup was the final pre-olympic competition for the Men's and Women's Olympic Wrestling Teams before heading of to Athens in early August. Six out of seven Canadian Olympians competed in the Canada Cup.

Christine started the first match of the competition with a 10-0 technical fall over Toni Copeland from the USA. She then defeated Marina Gastl of Austria by a margin of 5-0 which is great because Gastl is one of the qualified competitors Christine might face next month in August.

In the finals Christine met Canadian rival and national team member Okenawa Akuffo who competes out of Guelph. The two had had an epic 3 match battle at the Olympic trails with Christine coming out the victor in the hard fought series.

The final match of the Canada Cup was much different, with Christine hitting an explosive throw on Akuffo at the opening of the match. To the surprize of the home town fans Christine ended the match 10-0 with a fall about half way through the first round. For Christine is was an outstanding performance and a great boost heading to Athens.

"I really enjoyed wrestling at this tournament," Christine said, "I felt a lot more relaxed and composed than I have felt in my training lately." "I have to keep reminding myuself that this is how I perform best, it's not all about winning. I've worked hard to be where I am and I'm not going to be foolish and turn this great moment in my life into something negative." "With the amount of media that is at practice every night it is really clear that the games are right around the corner."

A number of other Calgary athletes had strong tournaments. Helen Hennick placed second at the 63Kg in a very competative weight class. Nico Jacobs and Breanne Graham also both reached the finals at the event. Jacobs will be competiting in the Olympic games at the 96Kg weight class and had a number of solid wins before his eventual loss to Hajmid Saifi from Iran. Grahem fell just short in the finals lossing to national team rival Emily Richardson of Vancouver. Britannee Laverdure had a bronze medal in the 55kg division which is her first international medal.

Tonya Verbeek from Beemsville, Ontario earned a win in the 55kg weight class after defeating Erica Sharp of Calgary as well as a technical fall over her Japanese opponent in the finals. Lindsay Belisle of Vancouver wrestled at the 53kg weight class and not at her olympic class which is 48Kg. Lindsay had a strong tournament but lost the final match to Sakamoto of Japan a 2x World champion at that weight class. At 63Kg Viola Yanik (2003 World bronze medalist) had to settle for a bronze medal after a loss in the semi finals to Shoda of Japan.

On the Men's side of the competition Daniel Igali competed in the 74Kg weight division, perhaps the strongest overall weight class at the tournament. Igali controlled and dominated the majority of the action enroute to the finals. In the final he faced Ivan Fudora of Cuba an emerging power on the international scene. Fudora had actually defeated Igali earlier in the year at the olympic qualifying event in Brataslava. Unfortunatley Daniel was not able to pierce the defenses of Fudora for a second match. The Cuban won a hard fought descision 3-0 over Igali and was named outstanding male wrestler at the tournament. Evan Mcdonald (Canada's Olympian at the 66kg division) had a frustrating tournament pulling out of the competition with an injury after a tough loss to Japan's Kiyofumi Kanebuchi. Gia Sissouri (60Kg) did not enter the competition due to injury.

Following the competition all the olympians and national team members took part in the final pre-olympic training camp before departing for Athens.

IMPACT Magazine releases The Olympic Issue.

The Canadian Sport Centre Calgary (CSCC) is extremely proud to be associated with IMPACT Magazine and this exclusive issue on Athens-bound athletes. They will provide us with a tremendous oppourtunity to watch some of our locat Olympians, athletes that live and train in our communicty, performing before an international audience. The Canadians featured on these pages are among the world's best, and it is with great pride that we at the CSCC support them to pursue excellence on the world stage.

In sport, the ultimate display of excellence is standing on the podium at a major international event like the World Championships or the Olympic/Paralympic Games. Medals are important to Canadians---winning an Olympic medal is an unbelievable accomplishment for any athlete, but it's because of what the medal represents that we should vigorously support them.

The medal creates heroes and role models for Canadians, especially for our youth. New attitudes are formed, positive behaviours are developed, people of all ages are inspired and stimulated to get involved and participate, and not just in sport. Winning at the top level provides an international presence for Canada and shows the world that Canadians can compete and win---that we are contenders at the world level.

The pursuit of excellence allows us to dream, to set and pursue goals, to stretch and challenge our limits. Excellence, both in doing our best and in being the best, is important on all of these levels, so it is important for us to focus our collective efforts as Canadians, on supporting our athletes in Athens this summer.

Dale Henwood
President, Canadian Sport Centre Calgary

The Olympic Issue of IMPACT is on magazine stands now. It contains many behind the scenes stories of Calgary's Olympians as well as everything you need to know about the 2004 Athens Games in the "Olympic "Guide. Click here to read more from the Olympic Issue.

Canadians parade to the podium at Indo Pacific trampoline and tumbling championships.
(Canadian Sport News)

KELOWNA, B.C.- Canada won five gold medals on Sunday, nearly half of its total victories this week in age group competition, to cap a strong showing at the Indo Pacific trampoline and tumbling championships.

The Canadian age group team ended the five-day competition with 11 gold, 10 silver and nine bronze.

On Sunday, the Canadians were particularly strong in the 17 and over age group tumbling competition with five of the six medals. In men’s tumbling, Innocent Eragbhe of Surrey, B.C., and Sean Mara of Bolton, Ont., finished 1-2. The women swept the medals with Courtney Billy of Burlington, Ont., Micki Pilson of Bolton and Erin McCabe of Edmonton finishing 1-2-3.

In the 15-16 age group, Rosie MacLennan and Kayla Gray of Toronto were ninth in the preliminaries then won the gold in the final in girls synchronized trampoline. Brittany Hunt and Brittany McGann of Toronto were third. In boys 15-16 synchro, Philip Barbaro of Toronto and Kyle Soehn of Red Deer, Alta., won the gold. Canada’s fifth gold on the day was won by Nathan Drydak of Toronto in boys 13-14 trampoline with Richard Barrie of Toronto second.

Also on the podium was Samantha Sendel of Toronto, second in the girls 13-14 trampoline and Curtis Gerein of Kelowna with silver in the boys 10-12 double mini
trampoline.

Other Canadian gold medallists this week were MacLennan in trampoline, Kelsi Semeschuk of Calgary in women’s 17 and over double mini trampoline, Justin Wong of Oakville in boys 10-12 tumbling, Jordan Sugrim of Burlington in girls 13-14 tumbling and Alexander Seifert of Calgary in boys 13-14 tumbling and double
mini trampoline.

Also with silver this week were Sendel in double mini trampoline, Gerein in tumbling, Meredith Reynolds of Caledonia, Ont., in 17 and over women’s double mini trampoline, Samantha McParland of North Bay, Ont., in girls 13-14 tumbling and Kaitlin Anseeuw of Caledonia in girls 15-16 tumbling.

Others earning bronze this week were Barbaro in trampoline, Erica Hart of Airdrie, Alta., in women’s 17 and over double mini trampoline, Nelson Murray of Kelowna in boys 10-12 tumbling, Keegan Soehn of Calgary and Braeden Hunt of Toronto in boys synchro trampoline, Keegan Soehn in trampoline, Courtney Bowman of Burlington in girls 15-16 tumbling, Chris Meliminis of Calgary in boys 15-16 tumbling.

Athlete Profile - Sherraine McKay: Forget Spider Man.
(CBC Sports Online)

Not-so-mild-mannered Mrs. MacKay can perform superhuman feats and even vanquish her arch-nemesis when she puts on the mask. Superman has Lex Luther. Batman has the Joker. And Sherraine McKay has Imke Duplitzer.

Okay, granted, Canadian fencer Sherraine MacKay is not a superhero. But the native of Brooks, Alta. does wear a mask and a cool uniform. And she's got a fancy weapon called an epee.

Yes, yes, a fencing epee does look too thin to be threatening, and MacKay is too ebullient to be menacing. Press releases of her victories often refer to MacKay "outpoking" her opponents. Not exactly intimidating.

But fencers can have a nemesis, a "bete noire" -- that one rival who represents a hurdle, both psychological and physical. It can be very serious business.MacKay's bete noire is Imke Duplitzer of Germany.

Duplitzer and MacKay (nee Schalm) were both 17 years old when they first met in competition 12 years ago. They were both moving up in the world of junior fencing and would make perfect rivals, except for one thing: Duplitzer didn't seem to notice."She has been my nemesis since I was 17, but I don't think I was her nemesis, since as a young kid, I've watched her from afar beat up on everybody,” said MacKay during an interview with CBC Sports Online. "She's about six-foot-one and she's been six-foot-one since she was 17."

Their first match did not go well -- at least not for MacKay." I remember fencing with her as a 17-year old, and she just took me to town," she said. "My coach actually said, 'You looked like Mickey Mouse against her,' and I was like, "I felt like Mickey Mouse too!'"

Duplitzer or no Duplitzer, MacKay was about to become the most successful fencer in Canadian history. Entering last July's Grand Prix in Sydney, MacKay had won gold in four World Cup meets, won medals in seven others, placed sixth at a world championships and represented Canada in the 2000 Sydney Olympics (placing 17th).

After the Olympics, Sherraine married musician Geordie MacKay and moved to Paris to train with her new coach, Daniel Levavasseur. She added more of an attacking stance to her arsenal of moves and feints, although she remained at heart a counter-attacker, the kind of person you'd hate to get in a flinching contest with.

But there was still Duplitzer. MacKay couldn't beat her, no matter how many times she faced her. Duplitzer wasn't just Lex Luther; she was kryptonite. Then came the 2003 Sydney Grand Prix. In the gold-medal match, MacKay and her long-time rival were tied 14-14. The first fencer to 15 would be the winner. MacKay turned to Levavasseur for direction, who said one word: "Fleche!"A fleche is a running attack, where the fencer leaps off the front foot and lunges to make a hit with the tip of the blade. If unsuccessful, the fencer will try to run past the opponent. It's risky.

"It's a really aggressive attack, and I was like, yup, got to be aggressive," MacKay said. "So I just turned back around and fleched, and I looked, and my lamp was going off which meant I got the [hit]." "I took off my mask and this feeling just overwhelmed me, a feeling of satisfaction and also a feeling of elation that you didn't want it to end. It was like, 'Bring on the next opponent!'

"Duplitzer, like any good nemesis, did not take the match well. "She didn't talk to me for a couple of months after that because I beat her for the first time in our lives. Since then, we fenced in Germany, and she's beaten me by just one or two points, but still….now she talks to me again."

Since MacKay gave this interview in May, she's beaten Duplitzer twice more in June. In Havana, Cuba, she defeated Duplitzer 15-13 in the third round. And on her way to capturing gold at the Gigante World Cup in Carolina, Puerto Rico, she again ousted the 2002 world championship silver medallist, 15-13 in the semifinals.

MacKay is now ranked fifth in the world, ahead of Duplitzer, who is ranked seventh. Both fencers will be competing for the gold in Athens. But just as Spider Man moved from the Green Goblin to Doctor Octopus, so too must MacKay set her sights on the next group of fencers: the top-ranked French pair of Laura Flessel-Colovic and Maureen Nisima, or China's Li Na, who handed MacKay a loss in the semifinals of the Legnano World Cup in Italy earlier this year.

Still, she shouldn't overlook Duplitzer. After all, the imposing German fencer now has a bete noire or her own to overcome in Athens. Any guesses who that might be?

Olympic Oval General Manager, Jacques Thibault announces his resignation.
(Olympic Oval, Calgary)

Olympic Oval General Manager, Jacques Thibault announced his resignation, effective July 31, 2004. During Thibault’s 15-year tenure at the Olympic Oval, High Performance Programs grew from one Program with 16 athletes to four Programs with over 400 athletes. Because of the success of these programs, the Olympic Oval has been an integral part of dominating speed skating and female hockey on the international scene.

The unique three-way partnership (University of Calgary, Calgary Olympic Development Association, and Government of Canada) has been significant in advancing high performance sport at the Oval.

Thibault came to Calgary in 1989 as the National Speed Skating Coach, and from there became the Oval’s Program Manager in 1992. Following the departure of Cathy Priestner Allinger in 1997, he was promoted to General Manager.

Under Thibault’s leadership, the Olympic Oval made a tremendous contribution to the University of Calgary and the City of Calgary, attracting up to a million visitors per year, locally, nationally and internationally. Many athletes from Canada and around the world call Calgary home as they train in the facility. These accomplishments were recognized this year as Thibault was a recipient of the 2003 President’s Internationalization Award and was inducted as a “builder” into the Speed Skating Canada Hall of Fame.

Thibault’s vision and passion for sport raised the profile of high performance sport and technology around the globe. World records at the Oval are continually being shattered due in part to the advances made in ice technology. Thibault was also instrumental in raising safety standards in short track speed skating with the development of the ISU recognized safety mats.

“I’m very proud that Canada has become a powerful force on the world scene in speed skating and female hockey because of the legacy built after the 1988 Olympic Winter Games”, says Thibault. “Because of the Oval’s international reputation as the best training centre in the world, with the fastest ice in the world, the legacy I’m leaving will continue to build champions for 2010”. Pride throughout the nation swelled in 2002, as Olympic Oval athletes achieved 11 Olympic Winter Games medals. The Olympic Oval Training Centre is currently home to 11 World Champions in their respective disciplines.

“I’d like to thank Ron Zernicke, Dean Faculty of Kinesiology, for the tremendous opportunities he has given me at the Olympic Oval. I would also like to thank my staff members of the Olympic Oval for their support, dedication, and passion,” says Thibault. Zernicke noted, “Jacques will certainly be missed. He is a passionate advocate for high performance sport and committed to developing excellence in sport. As an Olympian himself, he has the inner drive to succeed. That drive and passion has been at the core of what he worked to establish at the Oval.”

The Olympic Oval and high performance sport will continue to be vital elements of the University and the Calgary community. The Faculty of Kinesiology is moving forward with bold new initiatives, and undoubtedly the successes at the Olympic Oval and the Faculty of Kinesiology will continue, building on the excellence of the past 15 years.