Canada's Marie Andree Lessard (L) competes for the ball with Cuba's Nirian Sinal during the semi-finals of a pre-Olympic beach volleyball tournament in Mazatlan June 22, 2012. The best men's team and women's team from the tournament will participate in the London 2012 Olympic Games.STRINGER/MEXICO/Reuters
Toronto may have lost its bids to international competition for the 1996 and 2008 Games, but it's still a city on a beach where Olympic dreams can come true.
On July 7, at Ashbidge's Bay on the shores of Lake Ontario, four Canadian teans -- two men's and two women's -- will compete for the right to be part of the 2012 Olympic field. Each team has a pair of players. Bottom line: four will become Olympians.
''But right now we are all celebrating the moment,'' said Martin Reader of Comox.B.C.. ''On Monday morning when we return to Toronto it I'll be back to business.'
Canada earned an Olympic spot in men's and women's beach volleyball Saturday by winning both finals at the Continental Cup Games qualifying tournament in Mazatlan.Mexico.
The men's team comprised of Christian Redmann of Toronto and Ben Saxton of Calgary as well as the pairing of Reader of Comox, B.C., and Josh Binstock of Toronto defeated Mexico 3-1 in the men's final
"'This is just starting to sink in now, it is so exciting,'' said Reader, who had to get to the last European venues -- where he found out he'd have to qualify via the Continental Cup-- after seeking a loan from the Canadian Volleyball Association and financial aid from the Canadian Athletes Now fund. The national players haven't actually received their financial assistance from national programs for seven months because of legal actions tying up the disbursement of funds. Instead, the players reached into their own pockets, plumbed limits on personal liines of credit, and asked the Mom and Dad Banks for loans to keep ther Olympic dreams alive.
''We've received just so much support over that we can't thank everybody enough. We knew that Mexico would be tough in the final, and their A team was probably the strongest opponent we faced here." Reader said
Redmann and Saxton defeated Ulises and Lombardo Ontiveros 21-11, 21-13 but Mexico tied the match 1-1 as Aldo Miromontes and Juan Virgen beat Binstock and Reader 21-15, 21-18.
Binstock and Reader bounced back with 21-16, 21-18 victory over the brothers Ontiveros and Redmann and Saxton closed the match defeating a team of Miromontes and Virgen 21-17, 11-21, 15
"That third match probably the most pressure we've ever faced in our career,'' said Binstock. "We had our backs to the wall and 1,000 Mexican fans cheering against us. We were down almost the entire third set but like we've done so many times this season we found a way to get it done.''
In the women's final, Heather Bansley and Liz Maloney of Toronto as well as Annie Martin of Sherbrooke, Que., and Marie-Andrée Lessard of Ville LaSalle, Que., beat Mexico in their final 3--0. Bansley and Maloney opened the match defeating Martha Revuelta and Vanessa Virgen 21-12, 21-14. Martin and Lessard put Canada up 2-0 with a 21-18, 16-21, 15-12 win over Candelas Bibiana and Mayra Garcia. Bansley and Maloney sealed the match beating Bibiana and Garcia 21-14, 21-14.
To decide which pair gets the Olympic spots, the two Canadian teams must play off July 7 at Ashbridges Bay in Toronto.