The Success of OHPSI Athletes at the 2015 Pan Am Games

TORONTO (July 31, 2015) – Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO) would like to congratulate the 45 athletes who have been supported by CSIO’s Ontario High Performance Sport Initiative (OHPSI) program during their career (at various intervals since the program’s inception in 2010) on their outstanding podium performances at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. These 45 athletes contributed to a remarkable 34 medals for Team Canada!

Of the 45 OHPSI targeted athletes that qualified to represent Canada at the Games, 27 athletes stood on the podium, earning a combined 15 Gold medals, 6 Silver medals, and 13 Bronze medals. That’s a remarkable 60% of OHPSI supported athletes that qualified for the Games made the podium.

Many OHPSI supported athletes earned multiple medals including:

· Andre de Grasse, Athletics – Men’s 100m (Gold), Men’s 200m (Gold)

· Sarah Wells, Athletics – Women’s 400m Hurdles (Silver), Women’s 4x400m (Bronze)

· Dominique Bouchard, Swimming – Women's 4x100m Freestyle Relay (Gold), Women's 200m Backstroke Silver), Women's 4x100m Medley Relay (Silver)

· Sean MacKinnon, Cycling – Track - Men’s Team Pursuit (Bronze), Road - Men’s Individual Time Trial (Bronze)

· Carling Zeeman, Rowing – Women's Single Sculls (Gold), Women's Quadruple Sculls (Gold)

· Tim Schrijver, Rowing – Men's Coxless Four (Gold), Men’s Eight (Gold)

See attached for a complete list of OHPSI supported medalists from the 2015 Pan Am Games.

The impact of OHPSI athletes on Team Canada’s medal count can further be seen when looking at the Gold medals won in Olympic sports and disciplines offered at the 2015 Pan Am Games. Canada earned a total of 68 Gold medals in these sports, 15 of these Gold medals involved performances from OHPSI supported athletes. Their contribution to 22% of Team Canada’s Gold medals is significant and demonstrates the depth of elite talent in our province and that the future is bright for further international podium performances.

"It is fantastic to see that so many OHPSI supported athletes have achieved such success at the Pan Am Games. To reach the podium at an international event is always a wonderful accomplishment, but to do so on home soil is extra special," said Debbie Low, CEO of Canadian Sport Institute Ontario. "When OHPSI was created in 2010, our aim was to provide a clear performance pathway for targeted athletes and coaches to help Ontario lead the way in achieving future podium success for Canada at the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games, the 2020 and 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Games and beyond. These results show we are well on our way of obtaining this goal and further solidifying Ontario as a leader in sport in Canada. Congratulations to all of the athletes and coaches on a job well done. We also recognize our partners at the respective Provincial and National Sport Organizations of these sports for their efforts in making these outstanding performances a reality!"

For more information, please contact:

Laura Albright, Senior Communications Coordinator

Canadian Sport Institute Ontario

Tel: 416.596.1240 Ext. 238

Email: lalbright@csiontario.ca

www.csiontario.ca

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