Canadian men's rugby coach Kieran Crowley wasn't looking at Saturday's close loss to Wales as experience gained, but rather a huge opportunity lost.

Chris Czekaj and Tom James scored tries to lead Wales to a 32-23 victory over Canada in an international match that came down to the final 10 minutes.

Sean Duke and Ed Fairhurst scored a try apiece for the No. 15-ranked Canadians, a decent result for a Canadian side with an eye on World Cup qualifying later this summer, and against a country — ranked No. 7 in the world — that has handed Canada some ugly results in the past.

"I thought Wales, to their credit, kept us in our own 22 for about 10 minutes in the second half — it seemed like a bloody eternity," Crowley said. "If we had been able to clear that and put a bit more pressure on them, who knows what would have happened? It's a Test match, you always want to win a Test match.

"But we scored a couple of really good tries, our defensive effort I thought was pretty outstanding, we gave away too many penalties. I'm pretty proud of the boys, they certainly dug it in and gave it everything they had, and put a lot of pressure on Wales."

Good day for kickers
Fly-half Dan Biggar booted 22 points for Wales while James Pritchard had 13 points for Canada on a strong afternoon for both kickers at York University.

Wales routed Canada 60-3 the last time the teams met in Toronto back in 2005. But it was the feisty Canadians that romped out to the stronger opening Saturday at York University, as Pritchard booted a pair of penalties to give Canada a 6-0 lead, his first coming after Ryan Smith broke through to sprint 30 yards to within the 20-metre mark.

Wales's first try came in the 17th minute on a Canadian miscue — Duke was chasing the ball toward the try-line, but when he finally picked it up in an attempt to kick it out of danger, Czekaj sprinted in to steal the ball and needed to run just two metres to the try line. Biggar kicked the convert, putting Wales ahead 7-6.

Biggar went on to kick three more penalty goals to give the visitors a 16-9 lead heading into the locker-room at halftime.

Canadians tie it
Canada tied the game three minutes into the second half when Duke took a pass 30 metres from the try-line and raced down the sideline for the score, eliciting a cheer from the crowd of 8,450 fans at York.

"There were a couple of times there we brought the guys together and refocused, and in previous games we've gotten away from that," said Canadian flanker Adam Kleeberger. "In this game, we knew what we could do and what's happened in the past."

Wales was back in the game six minutes later when James scored his first international try with a five-metre run, with the ensuing conversion putting the Welshmen up 23-16.

Canadians battle back
Biggar booted two more penalties, and Wales led 29-16 at the 57-minute mark.

The Canadians battled back again, cutting Wales's lead to six points on Fairhurst's try in the 59th minute. The scrum half took a pass from team captain Pat Riordan to run the five metres in for the try, and Pritchard made the conversion to cut Wales's lead to 29-23.

"I didn't think we got the level of performance we were looking for," said Wales coach Robin McBryde. "It was a tough match. We knew Canada would hold in there for the full 80, and they did. There was nothing given, we had to fight for every point that we got."

Wales poured on the pressure from that point on and Biggar would add one more penalty boot before the final whistle.

The match was the second in a stretch of seven games in nine weeks for the Canadians, including a pair of World Cup qualifying contests against the U.S. Eagles in July. Canada opened this busy stretch with a 25-6 loss to Ireland a week ago in Vancouver.

Canada next heads to Denver for the Churchill Cup. The Canadians play Georgia on June 5 and Ireland A on June 14. Canada will have a third match June 21 against an opponent to be determined by pool play.

Aquatics: Women's 400m individual medley

The Globe and Mail
Sat 09 Aug 2008
Allan Maki

CANADIAN HOPES

At long last, Tanya Hunks is about to make her Olympic debut.

All it's taken for the 27-year-old Vancouver resident to get to the Beijing Olympics is a run of misses, plenty of heartache and a change of events.

She narrowly missed qualifying for the Sydney Games of 2000, then didn't qualify for 2004 in Athens in her specialty, the five-kilometre and 10- kilometre open-water events. After that, she got sick during a competition in Mexico and spent time in a hospital, where she lost 13 pounds.

Finally, the swim gods shone on her when she decided to concentrate solely on pool events. At the Canadian Olympic trials in Montreal this year, Hunks qualified for Beijing on the first night and will swim in the 400-metre individual medley qualifying heats Saturday morning.

"It's taken me a long time to go to the Olympics," Hunks said recently. "But I think that only makes it more special."

Hunks is the senior member of the Canadian women's team, entirely made up of Olympic rookies, including 15-year-old Lindsay Seeman of Newmarket, Ont.

"Touching the wall [and qualifying] in Montreal was worth everything," Hunks said.

Imagine what making the final would feel like.

OTHER RACES TO WATCH

Men's 400-metre individual medley At the U.S. Olympic trials, Michael Phelps set the world record - 4 minutes 2.25 seconds. Teammate Ryan Lochte is the top challenger. The preliminaries will be held on Saturday and the final on Sunday.

Women's 4 x 100-metre relay The Dutch team of Inge Dekker, Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Femke Heemskerk and Marleen Veldhuis set the world record in March - 3:33.62. The Germans, Australians and Americans have not come within one second of that time this year.

Men's 100-metre breaststroke Brendan Hansen of the United States holds the world record, 59.13 seconds, and owns the four fastest times in the world this year. Kitajima Kosuke of Japan won the gold medal at the Athens Games in 2004.

Men's 4 x 100 freestyle relay Led by world champion Brent Hayden, the Canadian team needs a top-eight finish in the prelims to make the final on Monday.

4:33.59

OLYMPIC RECORD

Set by Yana Klochkova of Ukraine on Sept. 16, 2000.

4:31.12

WORLD RECORD

Set by Katie Hoff of the United States on June 29, 2008.

After strong finish, Hesjedal promises more Tour rides in future

Times Colonist (Victoria)

Mon 28 Jul 2008

Byline: Cleve Dheensaw

Name the world's greatest sporting events -- from the Olympics and soccer World Cup to the America's Cup and Super Bowl -- and Island athletes have competed in them. Now add a Tour de France finisher to the list.

After 3,558 grinding kilometres and an accumulative 89 hours 26, minutes and 14 seconds of supreme physical endurance past towns, farms, meadows and through the Alps, Ryder Hesjedal of Victoria rode down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées yesterday toward the Arc de Triomphe to close out the Tour.

He became the first Canadian cyclist in over a decade to do so and only the fourth Canuck ever.

"It was just spectacular coming down des Champs . . . it's hard to describe the emotion and the energy . . . it's what every cyclist dreams of doing," said Hesjedal, a telephone interview following the completion of his first Tour de France.

"Coming down des Champs is the iconic finishing image of the Tour and so special to be a part of. This represents the key moment in the lifetime of any cyclist and it represents a quest and the commitment it takes to achieve it."

With his credentials now solidly entrenched after a credible 47th place finish overall in riding mostly a support role for Garmin-Chipotle, look for many more Tour rides in the Belmont Secondary grad's future as Hesjedal works his way up to becoming a featured rider on the team.

One day, the other riders will be riding in support of Ryder.

"I'm in a good place right now, in terms of age [27] and where I am in the sport," said the Colwood-raised Hesjedal, who finished one hour, 33 minutes and 22 seconds behind the overall winner, Spaniard Carlos Sastre of Team CSC Saxo Bank.

"I see myself here [Tour de France] for many years. As plans unfold, we'll see the approach Garmin takes as a team and how things develop. But that's for much later. Tonight is to celebrate the achievement of completing my first Tour."

Meanwhile, Canadian Olympic team officials had to be buzzing about Hesjedal's 13th-place finish in Saturday's penultimate time-trial stage. It puts the quiet-spoken Victorian in good stead for the 2008

Beijing Summer Games, where Hesjedal will ride both the road race and time trial for Team Canada.

"That's a great sign for Beijing," said Hesjedal.

"The time trial is a pure test of fitness over 53 kilometres and to finish eight seconds out of the top-10 and 30 seconds out of the top-six is an important signal for the Olympics and how close I can be."

Hesjedal's ride in the Tour -- the first for a Canadian since Gord Fraser in 1997 -- will be celebrated by the local cycling community when he returns to Victoria this week for five days before heading to Beijing.

Hesjedal will take part in a community ride Wednesday morning through the hometown streets he rode for years and which led to riding down the streets of Paris yesterday.

Then it's the streets of Beijing.

"At least I'm good for the Olympics as far as training . . . I think I've done a little bit of bike racing over the last month," chuckled Hesjedal, in a sweeping understatement.

Yeah, you could say that. Indeed, it was a fair ride through a fair little race.

"For sure, I was happy with it," said Hesjedal, of his experiences through the swirling panoply of the Tour.

And there was ample promise of more yet to come.

Cochrane captures bronze; Victorian gets first swimming medal since 2000

Times Colonist (Victoria)

Sun 17 Aug 2008

Cleve Dheensaw

BEIJING -- From Saanich Commonwealth Place to the Water Cube, a 19-year-old thunderbolt from Victoria struck for Canada yesterday and delivered for the nation its first Summer Olympics medal in the pool since Sydney 2000.

Those whispered predictions about Ryan Cochrane being "the next Grant Hackett" are now turning into a thunderous chorus.

Cochrane's bronze medal in the men's 1,500 metres was wholly unexpected in some corners as Canadian reporters here had already started writing that Canada would be blanked in the pool for a second straight Summer Games. At his age, the Claremont Secondary grad's time was supposed to come in four years at London 2012.

Well, guess again. His time is now. And it was 14 minutes, 42.69 seconds.

"Lots of people said that 2012 would be my time, but I just did it," Cochrane said. He certainly did.

"I knew it would be hard," Cochrane added. "A medal is amazing. I just gave it what I had left. I am so happy with the results."

Oussama Mellouli of Tunisia won the gold medal in 14:40.84, while Australian legend Hackett's bid for a third consecutive gold medal was derailed as he settled for the silver at 14:41.53.

Cochrane went out hard and challenged Hackett over the first 1,000 metres, but Mellouli came on like a flash, leaving Hackett and Cochrane in his wake.

As Hackett also moved up, Cochrane held off a tenacious challenge down the stretch from fourth-place finisher Yuriy Prilukov of Russia. It resulted in the bronze.

"It was a hard race, and the first half took a lot out of me for the second half, but I'm so happy with a medal. ... [Randy Bennett of the Island Swim Club] ... knows me and I know him. I just did whatever I could to get here."

Cochrane knew he had to go out early fast and furious if he had any chance of swimming with the big dogs in the final.

"It hurt me a bit on the back end," he noted. "But that's what I needed to do to get a medal. I needed to be ahead of everyone. I could see Prilukov coming, and I knew he was going to have a good back end, and I just did whatever I could to hold him off."

A massive buzz has started to build around Cochrane's possibilities of gaining the world record -- Hackett currently holds it at 14:34.56 -- and winning future Olympic golds.

After the race, Cochrane talked with Canwest reporters.

"It was hard swimming on the last day, but the Canadian team was so supportive and we've just set so many national records and had so many incredible swims, I think we're all pretty ecstatic to be Canadians."

Aquatics: Women's 400m individual medley

The Globe and Mail
Sat 09 Aug 2008
Allan Maki

CANADIAN HOPES

At long last, Tanya Hunks is about to make her Olympic debut.

All it's taken for the 27-year-old Vancouver resident to get to the Beijing Olympics is a run of misses, plenty of heartache and a change of events.

She narrowly missed qualifying for the Sydney Games of 2000, then didn't qualify for 2004 in Athens in her specialty, the five-kilometre and 10- kilometre open-water events. After that, she got sick during a competition in Mexico and spent time in a hospital, where she lost 13 pounds.

Finally, the swim gods shone on her when she decided to concentrate solely on pool events. At the Canadian Olympic trials in Montreal this year, Hunks qualified for Beijing on the first night and will swim in the 400-metre individual medley qualifying heats Saturday morning.

"It's taken me a long time to go to the Olympics," Hunks said recently. "But I think that only makes it more special."

Hunks is the senior member of the Canadian women's team, entirely made up of Olympic rookies, including 15-year-old Lindsay Seeman of Newmarket, Ont.

"Touching the wall [and qualifying] in Montreal was worth everything," Hunks said.

Imagine what making the final would feel like.

OTHER RACES TO WATCH

Men's 400-metre individual medley At the U.S. Olympic trials, Michael Phelps set the world record - 4 minutes 2.25 seconds. Teammate Ryan Lochte is the top challenger. The preliminaries will be held on Saturday and the final on Sunday.

Women's 4 x 100-metre relay The Dutch team of Inge Dekker, Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Femke Heemskerk and Marleen Veldhuis set the world record in March - 3:33.62. The Germans, Australians and Americans have not come within one second of that time this year.

Men's 100-metre breaststroke Brendan Hansen of the United States holds the world record, 59.13 seconds, and owns the four fastest times in the world this year. Kitajima Kosuke of Japan won the gold medal at the Athens Games in 2004.

Men's 4 x 100 freestyle relay Led by world champion Brent Hayden, the Canadian team needs a top-eight finish in the prelims to make the final on Monday.

4:33.59

OLYMPIC RECORD

Set by Yana Klochkova of Ukraine on Sept. 16, 2000.

4:31.12

WORLD RECORD

Set by Katie Hoff of the United States on June 29, 2008.