IGALI TO LEAD STAR-STUDDED CANADIAN TEAM FOR 2002 COMMONWEALTH GAMES

TORONTO- Wrestler Daniel Igali of Burnaby, B.C., was selected as Canada's flag bearer and will lead the 406-member Canadian team into the City of Manchester Stadium for the opening ceremonies at the 2002 Commonwealth Games July 25-August 4 in Manchester, England.

Wrestler Daniel Igali has been named as flag bearer for the 2002 Commonwealth Games team for Canada.

Igali, a World and Olympic champion as well as a veteran of the 1994 Commonwealth Games, is one several established stars on the team. Others include Olympic triathlon champion Simon Whitfield, swimmers Marianne Limpert of Montreal (the 1998 flag bearer), and Curtis Myden of Calgary, cyclist Clara Hughes of Winnipeg diving sensation Alexandre Despatie of Laval, Que., and Keith Morgan of Calgary in judo. "To carry the flag in Manchester will be one of the highlights of my career," said Igali. "There were certainly a lot of other deserving athletes and I was surprised to receive this honour. The Commonwealth Games bring back a lot of fond memories for me. I always consider the 1994 Games the start of my new life in Canada. And now to come back to the Games representing Canada means the circle is complete." .

Over the past three seasons, Daniel Igali of Burnaby, BC, has become Canada's first men's world and Olympic wrestling champion. In May 2001, he was one of 10 inductees into the BC Sports Hall of Fame, a rarity for a non-retired athlete.

CANADIAN ROWERS WIN TOP PRIZE AT THE HENLEY ROYAL

HENLEY-ON-THAMES, OXFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND - The Canadian men's eight won its final race Sunday at the Henley Royal Regatta in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. The eight is the first Canadian crew to win the prestigious Grand Challenge Cup - the oldest cup at Henley dating back to 1839.

Victoria City Rowing Club/University of Victoria (aka the Canadian Men's Eight) took the prestigious Grand Challenge Cup.

"To be here in Henley in front of the British, and have a top row, was wonderful," said Mike Spracklen, coach of the Canadian heavyweight men and a native of Great Britain. The Canadian men's eight, rowing as Victoria City Rowing Club/University of Victoria, beat a top German crew rowing under the club names of Ruder Club Hansa von 1898 e.v. Dortmund/Ruderverein Munster. The winning time was 6.20.

The men's eight members are Andrew Hoskins (Edmonton, Alta.), Kyle Hamilton (Richmond, BC), Adam Kreek (London, Ont.), Kevin Light (Sidney, BC), Jeff Powell (Winnipeg, Man.), Ben Rutledge (Victoria, BC), Joe Stankevicius (Dundas, Ont.), Matt Swick (St. Catharines, Ont.) and Brian Price (coxswain, Belleville, Ont.).)

"We shot out right at the start," said Adam Kreek, who was rowing at his first Henley Royal. "We kept the stroke long and powerful throughout the race, and each time the Germans made a move, we pushed right back." Canada won by a half a boat length.

"It was a fantastic race," said Kevin Light. "Henley is a very special regatta and having Mike (Spracklen) as our coach has been an extra bonus. We were able to train at his home club (Marlow) and concentrate on our preparation and racing."

ALBERTAN GYMNASTS WIN AWARDS AT GCG ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

OTTAWA - At the 2002 GCG Awards Dinner in Ottawa - held in conjunction with the Annual General Meeting - several Albertans were honoured with awards.

Kylie Stone won two gold and two bronze in the Women's International Medal category. In the men's category, Nathan Gafuik won a bronze, Scott Lang took home a silver, Kyle Shewfelt had four gold and two bronze, Grant Golding had three gold and one bronze, Brandon O'Neill earned three gold and two bronze, Jared Walls was awarded one silver and one bronze, and Adam Wong took one silver. Men's National Team members include Nathan Gafuik and Grant Golding of Calgary, John Hall, Scott Lang, Sasha Lazic, Braden McNeil, Damien Miller, Christian Nuttell, Brandon O'Neill, Austin Scruggs, and AdamWong. Women's National Team members include Kylie Stone of Calgary, Amanda Gering, Jody Mckellar, and Jessica Sawyer

Grant Golding of Calgary was among the Albertans recognized at the national awards dinner. (photo-Grace Chiu)

COMMONWEALTH GAMES NEWS:
ATHLETICS CANADA NAMES COMMONWEALTH GAMES TEAM

OTTAWA - Athletics Canada announced its 42-member national team which will represent Canada at the XVIIth Commonwealth Games taking place in Manchester, England, July 25 to August 4.

Made up of 23 men and 19 women, including two female athletes with a disability, team members had to meet a tough international standard and finish in the top three places at the recent Canadian Track and Field Championships in order to be considered for selection to the team in an individual event. "We raised the bar in terms of selection criteria this year now that we are moving towards a greater focus on high performance results," says head coach Alex Gardiner. "I'm very impressed with the number of athletes that met the higher standards as we head towards Manchester. We're looking forward to some strong performances this summer which will set the stage for the world championships in Paris next summer and then Athens in 2004."

With a mixture of veterans and promising young talent, Canada is looking to equal its ten medal count (three silver medals and seven bronze) from the 1998 Commonwealth Games.

One of the key events and athletes to watch will be the men's 4 x 100m relay. This will be Canada's first international opportunity to showcase the rebuilding of the men's sprint program with newcomers Jermaine Joseph of Calgary; Nicolas Macrozonaris of Laval, Que., Anson Henry of Mississauga, Pierre Browne of Mississauga. Olympic gold medallist and national team veteran Bruny Surin of Montreal will anchor the 4 x 100m relay in probably his last international appearance before retirement.

"This is going to be a very strong team for us at the Games," said Marg McGregor, the Canadian Commonwealth Games team Chef de Mission. "There's a lot of depth on this squad with several team members in the prime of their careers. No doubt there'll be some outstanding performances and we'll need them against some very tough competition."

Canada's toughest competition will be from England, South Africa, Kenya, Jamaica and Australia.

SYDOR FINISHES THIRD IN TOUGH MOUNTAIN BIKE COMPETITION

NORTH VANCOUVER, BC (CP) - Alison Sydor from North Vancouver, BC, cycled to a third place finish at the Women's World Cup cross country race on Grouse Mountain Saturday.

The weather was perfect as the 36-year-old Sydor reached the podium against the world's best riders in front of family, friends and her home town crowd.

Germany's Sabine Spitz won her first World Cup event in one hour 58 minutes 28 seconds. Alison Dunlap of the U.S. was second in 2:00:34 and Sydor took the bronze in 2:01:27, 2:59 behind Spitz.

Two other Canadians - Chrissy Redden of Campbellville, Ont., and Kiara Bisaro of Courtenay, BC - finished in the top 10. Redden was sixth in a time of 2:08:12 and Bisaro finished eighth in 2:09:17.