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Canadian surfer Sanoa Olin has just qualified for the 2023 Olympic Games in Paris, France. As the Toronto Star reports, the 18-year-old from Tofino, British Columbia clinched the position on Monday, via a silver-medal performance at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
The Pan American games began on October 24th at the point break, Punta de Lobos in Pichilemu. The pool of competitors included 88 male and female athletes from more than 15 countries in the Americas in four different categories: shortboard, longboard, SUP Surf and SUP Race.
Olin had a dominant performance on the way to the podium in the women’s shortboard competition. In the semifinal round against Costa Rica’s Leilani McGonagle, Olin scored a 4.5 and 5.5 for a total 10 points, compared to McGonagle’s 4.2. She then faced Brazil’s Tatiana Weston-Webb in the final, narrowly missing gold with a 10.13 score to Weston-Webb’s 12.33.
This development comes hot on the heels of the news that Canada’s long-time favorite for the Olympic games, Erin Brooks, has been officially deemed ineligible for Canadian citizenship. However, Brooks’ father has stated that they plan on appealing the government’s decision. The final chance to qualify will be at the ISA World Championships in Puerto Rico in February.
