Sanoa Dempfle-Olin bobbed in the Pacific waves with her face in her hands when she realized what was ahead of her.
The 18-year-old surfer from Tofino, qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games by reaching MondayB次元官网网址檚 Pan American Games womenB次元官网网址檚 final. No Canadians surfed when the sport made its Olympic debut in Tokyo just over two years ago.
With Brazilian finalist Tatiana Weston-Webb already bound for Paris B次元官网网址� although the French Polynesian island of Tahiti will provide the Olympic surfing venue B次元官网网址� the 18-year-old Canadian needed a semifinal win for Olympic qualification.
Dempfle-Olin posted two strong scores early in the semifinal session for a 10-4.20 win over Costa RicaB次元官网网址檚 Leilani McGonagle.
B次元官网网址淕etting towards the end of the heat, I was in the lead, and before the buzzer sounds, anything can happen,B次元官网网址� Dempfle-Olin told The Canadian Press.
B次元官网网址淎s soon as I heard the countdown and heard the buzzer sound, I definitely felt all the emotions, releasing the pressure, all of it from the last two weeks of training here.
B次元官网网址淪o after the heat, after it was official and the buzzer sounded, I had my head in my hands for a few minutes and just soaked it all in. Kind of let go and felt all the emotions.B次元官网网址�
Dempfle-Olin (pronounced DEMB次元官网网址�-flee oh-lin) was mobbed by teammates on the shoreline after emerging from the sea at Punta de Lobos, roughly 220 kilometres southwest of Santiago, Chile.
B次元官网网址淚t still doesnB次元官网网址檛 feel real but on the jet-ski ride back into the beaches, I didnB次元官网网址檛 even believe it,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淪eeing them all on the beach made it extra-special. It confirmed it.B次元官网网址�
The Canadian ended the day with a silver medal. She was beaten 12.33-10.13 by the 27-year-old veteran Weston-Webb for gold.
B次元官网网址淪heB次元官网网址檚 an amazing surfer and on tour for years. IB次元官网网址檝e looked up to her pretty much my whole life,B次元官网网址� Dempfle-Olin said.
B次元官网网址淚n my semifinal, I was lucky to get the ball rolling pretty quick and get my two scoring waves pretty quickly. The final, it was a little bit harder to find them. It was a bit messier out there and the rip was also really strong, so it was super-hard to stay in position. It took me a little longer to find waves that had great potential.B次元官网网址�
Dempfle-OlinB次元官网网址檚 Olympic qualification is provisional upon her competing in the 2024 ISA World Surfing Games in Puerto Rico.
Two Canadians would have to finish both ahead of her and among the top seven women in Puerto Rico to knock Dempfle-Olin off her Olympic berth.
ThatB次元官网网址檚 a tall order with over 100 women competing for seven remaining Olympic spots, Surf Canada executive director Dom Domic said.
B次元官网网址淚 would bet the house that Sanoa has fully punched her ticket to Paris 24,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 literally almost assured.B次元官网网址�
Dempfle-OlinB次元官网网址檚 older sister, Mathea, earned Pan Am Games bronze when the sport was introduced in Lima, Peru in 2019. The sisters grew up surfing TofinoB次元官网网址檚 cold waters in wetsuits.
B次元官网网址淢y sister gave me lots of good advice,B次元官网网址� Dempfle-Olin said. B次元官网网址淪heB次元官网网址檚 just kind of been my inspiration for my whole life. SheB次元官网网址檚 pushed me and sheB次元官网网址檚 my biggest supporter and my best friend.
B次元官网网址淏efore every heat and at night before bed weB次元官网网址檇 message each other and she just remind me that IB次元官网网址檝e put in all the hard work and that if it was meant to happen for me that it would.
B次元官网网址淚 think sheB次元官网网址檚 feeling some of my joy.B次元官网网址�
Mathea, 20, didnB次元官网网址檛 qualify for Santiago, but Sanoa did by finishing fourth in AprilB次元官网网址檚 Pan American Surfing Games in Panama.
Olympic surfing will happen 15,000 kilometres away from Paris in TeahupoB次元官网网址檕, Tahiti. The Dempfle-Olin sisters got a taste of the B次元官网网址淲all of SkullsB次元官网网址� and its mammoth barrels at a September training camp.
B次元官网网址淭he wave is extremely challenging because often itB次元官网网址檚 very big when itB次元官网网址檚 good and itB次元官网网址檚 very thick wave,B次元官网网址� Dempfle-Olin said.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 over very shallow reef and thereB次元官网网址檚 just kind of a lot that could go wrong there. ItB次元官网网址檚 also a very beautiful wave, in a very beautiful place and you can definitely get some of the best rides your life there.B次元官网网址�
Dempfle-Olin will surf in the world junior championship Nov. 24 to Dec. 3 in Rio de Janeiro.
Canada didnB次元官网网址檛 qualify a surfer for Tokyo, although Cody Young received a late invitation due to a COVID-related vacancy in the menB次元官网网址檚 field. The Hawaii-based surfer wasnB次元官网网址檛 able to get to Tokyo in time, however, because of pandemic-related travel issues.
A young woman qualifying for the 2024 Olympic Games nine months out can help raise the sportB次元官网网址檚 profile in Canada, Domic said.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 great for surfing in Canada,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚t just validates all the work that weB次元官网网址檝e been putting and the culture that weB次元官网网址檝e been building over the decades and of course youB次元官网网址檝e got to give it to Sanoa and her family and everybody thatB次元官网网址檚 been supporting her.B次元官网网址�
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