Silver medal winners Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes of Canada, show off their medals as they pose for photo at the podium of the women's beach volleyball, at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Esteban Felix
TORONTO – After competing with different partners at the Tokyo Games, Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson are joining forces this summer at the Paris Olympics.
Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson, both from Toronto, were part of Canada’s Olympic beach volleyball team announced Friday by Volleyball Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee.
Heather Bansley of Waterdown, Ont., Toronto’s Sophie Bukovec, Samuel Schachter of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Toronto’s Daniel Dearing were also named to the squad.
Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson are currently ranked fourth in the world and recently won silver at the Ostrava Elite 16 event in Czechia.
Bansley is back in action after briefly retiring after the Tokyo Olympics, where she and Wilkerson advanced to the quarterfinals following an upset of third-ranked Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil of the United States. She will team up with Bukovec in Paris.
Humana-Parades and Sarah Pavan also advanced to the quarterfinals in Tokyo before being upset by Australians Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar.
Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson earned an Olympic spot based on their world ranking.
Schachter and Dearing secured the men’s continental spot and Bansley and Bukovec won the women’s continental berth at the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Tlaxcala, Mexico. Both teams went undefeated throughout the tournament without dropping one set.
Beach volleyball will take place July 27 to Aug. 10 at the Eiffel Tower Stadium.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2024.
