Canada aiming for top-2 finish at Pan Am Games
Largest, strongest team in nation’s history leads to heightened expectations
With the opening ceremony for the Pan Am Games in Toronto just days away, expectations for the Canadian team are high.
Canada's squad, which is made up of over 720 athletes competing in 36 sports, is a collection of much of the nation's top talent.
The Canadian Olympic Committee has set the goal for Canada to finish first or second in total medals. Some people, including four-time Olympic medallist kayaker Adam van Koeverden, have suggested it may be Canada's strongest squad ever.
"Canada is sending its best athletes in most summer Olympic sports," said van Koeverden, who will be making his Pan Am Games debut. "We're shooting to finish in the Top 2 in the medal count, but competition will be tough."
While it's never easy to win medals at an international event, Canada should be a safe bet to hit the podium early and often. Much has been said about the hosts fielding an unusually strong unit for the Pan Ams, sending "A" teams in several of the key sports. Other Pan Am nations are choosing to send mostly developmental squads.
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Big names on Team Canada
The Canadian team features many familiar faces with extensive championship pedigree. It includes Canada's lone gold medallist from the 2012 Olympics in London, trampoline gymnast Rosie MacLennan, who is back to defend her Pan Am gold medal from the Games in Mexico four years ago.
Among the other notable names are Canada's flag-bearer and Olympic canoeing bronze medallist Mark Oldershaw, swimmer Ryan Cochrane and sprinter Andre De Grasse.
Cochrane and De Grasse are both expected to shine in the Games, with Cochrane in particular hopeful to earn double gold for his country.
Outside of swimming and track, Canada is considered a strong contender to medal in women's cycling, women's diving, women's rugby sevens and men's water polo.
Own the Podium, Canada's publicly financed, high-performance sport funding initiative, echoed the sentiment of the COC and has set a target of 160 total medals.
The last two major Games Canada has hosted, the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and the 1999 Pan Am Games in Winnipeg, were extremely successful from a medal standpoint.
Canada finished third in total medals in Vancouver with 26, and won the gold medal count with 14 — the most ever by one nation in a Winter Olympics. The Canadians were second in overall medals in Winnipeg with 196 and third in the gold medal tally with 64.
Canadian officials are hoping to achieve similar success in Toronto, looking to gain momentum for next year's Rio Olympics.
Former Olympic cycling medallist Curt Harnett, Canada's chef de mission for the Pan Am Games, believes these Games are integral to Canadian athletes' preparations for the Olympics.
"I like to say the road to Rio has a stop in Toronto," Harnett told the Toronto Star. "I think that's the way our athletes are viewing this, as an important stepping stone on the journey."
With files from The Canadian Press