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Canada's Olympic women's rowing team stacked with Vancouver Island talent

Three women from Vancouver Island will be rowing in the Paris Olympics
Black Press Media
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Gold medalists Lisa Roman, Kasia Gruchalla-Wesierski, Christine Roper, Andrea Proske, Susanne Grainger, Madison Mailey, Sydney Payne, Avalon Wasteneys and Kristen Kit of Canada pose during the medal ceremony for the women’s rowing eight final lat the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 30, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Three rowers will be representing Vancouver Island, their province, and their nation during the 2024 Olympics in Paris. 

Caileigh Filmer (Victoria), Sydney Payne (Victoria) and Avalon Wasteneys (Campbell River) were selected to row for the Women's Canadian rowing team as part of the women's eight in the Olympic regatta for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Wasteneys and Payne were both part of the women's eight team that won gold in the 2020 Olympics. Filmer was not part of the women's eight team in 2020, but won a bronze medal in the coxless pair event with Hillary Janssens of Surrey. 

“Returning for my second Olympic Games makes me feel incredibly grateful for all the amazing support and hard work that has brought us to this point,” says Wasteneys in a news release from the Canadian Olympic Committee. “Heading into Paris, I’m really looking forward to witnessing a full Olympic experience, especially after the more limited Tokyo Olympic Games experience during the global pandemic. What I am genuinely most excited about is getting out there and competing with my teammates. This crew continually excels under pressure, and I can’t wait to see how we rise to the challenge of performing at the highest possible level in Paris.”

 

Filmer wasn't part of the women's eight in the last 2020 Olympics but was part of the team in the 2016 Olympics. 

In the run-up to the 2024 Olympics, the team took gold at the World Rowing Cup after beating the United States and Great Britain. The event took place from May 24 to 26 in Lucerne, Switzerland. 

Joining the Vancouver Island trio are Kasia Gruchalla-Wesierski (Calgary, Alta.), Kristen Kit (St Catherines, Ont.), Jessica Sevick (Strathmore, Alta.), Kristina Walker (Wolfe Island, Ont.), Abby Dent (Kenora, Ont.) and Maya Meschkuleit (Mississauga, Ont.).

The women's eights will take place on July 29 at the National Olympic Nautical Stadium of Île-de-France in Vaires-sur-Marne, a commune roughly 33 kilometres east of Paris.