Sanoa Olin will represent Canada in surfing at the Paris Olympics this summer with Cody Young a second reserve for the menB次元官网网址檚 field.

Olin, a native of Tofino, B.C., who turns 19 on Tuesday, was already provisionally qualified for the Olympics by virtue of her earning a silver medal at last yearB次元官网网址檚 Pan American Games in Chile. But she confirmed her place by finishing tied for 13th at the ISA World Surfing Games, the final Olympic qualifier that wrapped up Sunday in Puerto Rico.

The top eight women booked their ticket to Tahiti, the largest island in French Polynesia, which will host the Olympic surfing event starting July 27. But OlinB次元官网网址檚 13th-place finish in Puerto Rico qualified her irrespective of her Pan Am Games performance given some of the women ahead of her were already headed to the Olympics.

B次元官网网址淪heB次元官网网址檚 a championship-level surfer with the scores to prove it,B次元官网网址� said Dom Domic, executive director of Surf Canada. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of positive takeaways for her B次元官网网址� SheB次元官网网址檚 so fired up to go to Tahiti.B次元官网网址�

The positive for Surf Canada is a Canadian will be in the Olympic field, which will raise the profile of the sport.

Young also finished tied for 13th but with only the top six men in Puerto Rico qualifying for the Olympics, he finds himself on the outside looking in as the second reserve in case any of the confirmed athletes has to withdraw due to injury or other reasons.

Domic said Young will be on site in Tahiti, to be ready if called.

Canada did not have a surfer at the Tokyo Olympics, which marked the sportB次元官网网址檚 debut at the games, although Young came close. The Hawaii-based athlete got a last-minute call-up to the Tokyo games due to a COVID-related opening but was unable to make it to Japan in time to compete.

This time around, the 24-year-old Young was knocked out of contention by a French surfer late in the competition.

B次元官网网址淥bviously (heB次元官网网址檚) super-disappointed,B次元官网网址� Domic said of Young. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 going to leave some scar tissue B次元官网网址� ItB次元官网网址檚 very very competitive on the male side. The depth of talent is very very deep and thereB次元官网网址檚 less (qualifying) spots available, compared to the women. ThereB次元官网网址檚 only six spots available. If there were eight spots, heB次元官网网址檇 be in. That shows how close he came.B次元官网网址�

There was also disappointment for 16-year-old Erin Brooks who was looking to qualify after winning her battle for Canadian citizenship earlier this year.

Brooks was knocked out of Round 2 by FranceB次元官网网址檚 Vahin茅 Fierro and then eliminated in ThursdayB次元官网网址檚 repechage round. She finished tied for 49th.

B次元官网网址淪heB次元官网网址檒l come out tougher, stronger and better for it,B次元官网网址� said Domic.

Levi Young, CodyB次元官网网址檚 younger brother, was tied for 31st while Wheeler Hasburgh was tied for 55th. Mathea Olin, SanoaB次元官网网址檚 older sister, finished 41st.

Brooks was born in Texas and grew up in Hawaii but has Canadian ties through her American-born father Jeff, who is a dual American-Canadian citizen, and her grandfather who was born and raised in Montreal.

She turned heads by winning a silver medal at the ISA World Surfing Games in El Salvador last June and gold at the ISA World Junior Championships in June 2022.

BrooksB次元官网网址檚 application for Canadian citizenship was initially rejected. But Immigration Minister Marc Miller had a change of heart after a December ruling by OntarioB次元官网网址檚 Superior Court of Justice that it is unconstitutional for Canada to deny automatic citizenship to the children of foreign-born Canadians who grew up abroad.

The Brooks family then refiled their application under a hardship status, based on the recommendation of the Immigration Department, to accelerate the process.

Brooks was sworn in as a Canadian citizen in January.

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Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press