Men’s volleyball
The Canadian men’s volleyball team staged a spectacular comeback with a seven point rally in the fifth and deciding set to claim a
3-2 (23-25, 25-21, 25-21, 23-25, 16-14) victory over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their opening match of the tournament. Right side hitter Steve Wood led the Canadians with 22 points including 18 kills. Canada moves to 1-0 in pool play and will face Switzerland (0-1) on August 21 at 8:00 a.m. (EST).
Men’s basketball
The Canadian men’s basketball team passed their first test when they
defeated Norway 85-54 in their opening game of pool play at the 29
th Summer Universiade. Carleton Raven Kaza Kajami-Keane led all scorers with 22 points and a game-high eight assists. The men’s basketball team will continue the tournament on August 21 at 10 p.m. (EST) when it faces Finland, who won 94-48 in their opening game against Japan.
Men’s water polo
Canada is in the win column after defeating South Africa 8-4. Devon Thumwood scored four goals, which matches his career high (earned once before), to lead the Canadians to their 1-1 record. Sean Spooner and Reuel D’Souza each added two goals.
“This was an important game for us. We were able to win largely due to a strong performance on defence,” said head coach Brian Parillo. “South Africa is a well-coached, physically strong team but we were able to use our mobility to nullify that aspect of their game.”
“I was fortunate to be able to put away scoring opportunities that the team generated for me,” a tired Devon Thumwood said after playing all but the last minute and a half of the game.
The victory puts Canada (1-) in a tie for second in Pool C with Hungary (1-1), with their final pool play match scheduled for August 21 at 3:40 a.m. (EST) against Serbia.
Women’s water polo
After a solid win against New Zealand in its first game, the Canadian women’s water polo team did not enjoy the same success against Russia, who won 17-11 on Sunday. Elyse Lemay-Lavoie and Shae Fournier both scored a hat-trick, while Emma Wright and Hayley McKelvey potted two goals each. The women’s team now has a 1-1 record and will play Hungary (2-0) in the next match on August 22 at 1:00 am (EST).
Also in action
The Canadians were in second place in the men’s artistic gymnastics team final, trailing only the U.S., after three subdivisions, but slipped to third after the fourth subdivision. They ended the day finishing in eight place with an overall score of 241.050 after the fifth and final subdivision. Event scores for Canada were the following: floor – 39.950 (eighth), pommel horse – 37.425 (12th), 40.800 – rings (eighth), 41.900 – vault (ninth), 40.625 – parallel bars (eighth) and 40.350 – horizontal bar (seventh).
In Taekwondo, Canada’s AJ Assadian advanced to today’s poomsae semifinal after finishing third in his pool with a total score of 79.4. In the semifinal he finished 13th with a score 76.8.
At the University of Taipei’s Shih-hsin Hall, diver Elaena Nancy Dick advanced to the women’s 1M springboard semifinals after posting a score of 236.20. In the final round of 10 student-athletes, she had a score of 234.40, to miss the final by four points. Dolores Hernandez (MEX) won gold in the event.
Finally in fencing, Marilyne Plante won two of her seven fights.
