Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Canada's quest for another medal in women's rugby sevens got off to a roaring start Thursday morning as the Canadian squad routed Brazil 33-0 in the opening match of the group play stage for both teams.
Things went quite differently for Canada on Thursday evening as they dropped their second match to Fiji 26-12.
In the early game, veteran captain Ghislaine Landry led a balanced scoring attack for the Canadians, making four out of five conversion attempts and adding a try for 13 points.
"I'm pretty happy with that first performance," Landry said.
"It's been such a build up ... We're just so happy to be on the field playing together."
Olympic rookie Keyara Wardley, who came in as a substitute for the second half, added 10 points on a pair of tries, while Charity Williams and Karen Paquin had a try each.
In the late game, Fiji was dominant against a Canadian squad that looked flat-footed in the first half. The Fijians led 21-0 at the break.
The second half was a more balanced contest, but the damage was done and Canada fell to 1-1.
The Canadians wrap up their group play schedule against France on Friday morning. The French side is undefeated after victories over Fiji and Brazil on Thursday.
The Canadian women, led by Landry, earned a bronze medal in the first Olympic appearance for rugby sevens at the Rio Games in 2016.
Both teams brought terrific energy to the pitch to start Thursday's opener, and the first half was a mostly even affair, with only Williams crossing the goal line. Landry's first successful conversion made it 7-0 Canada at halftime, and it was all Canada from there.
"At halftime we just talked about really going 100 per cent and I think you saw that in second half," said Landry.
Thursday marked a debut of sorts for Canada coach Mick Byrne, a 62-year-old Australian national with a diverse CV that includes rugby league, rugby union and Aussie Rules Football.
After the game, Landry had high praise for the new coach.
"You know he's one of the best rugby coaches in the world. His knowledge is second to none. So we were so fortunate that he was able to step in and help us get here and I think elevate our game," she said.
Byrne took over the Canadian women after John Tait stepped down in April after an independent review of a formal complaint by former and present players under Rugby Canada's harassment and bullying policy.
The review found that, while the conduct described in the players' complaint reflected the experiences of the athletes, it did not fall within the policy's definition of harassment or bullying.
Tait said the complaints were "all unfounded," but resigned as sevens head coach and women's high-performance director.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2021.
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a Grade 4 student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.