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Day 3 at Santiago 2023: Dressage Team Secures Paris 2024 Spot; Félix Dolci Makes History
October 23, 2023
By Caela Fenton
Following an impressive weekend with 21 medals, Team Canada continued their successful run in the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games during the first full week of competition. They added 19 more medals to their tally, including three gold, nine silver, and seven bronze. Notably, the equestrian dressage team secured a coveted spot for Paris 2024.
Here are some of the day’s standout performances:
**Artistic Gymnastics: Félix Dolci Claims All-Around Gold**
Félix Dolci, a key member of Canada’s men’s artistic gymnastics team that recently qualified for the Olympics for the first time since Beijing 2008, shone at the Pan Am Games. Dolci clinched the gold medal in the men’s individual all-around final with a total score of 82.531. This victory made him the first Canadian man to win all-around gold at the Pan Am Games in 60 years, since William Weiler achieved the feat in 1963.
Dolci, despite a fall in his final apparatus, the horizontal bar, managed to secure the gold due to his high difficulty score. He expressed his pride and hope for the future, looking forward to Paris 2024.
**Equestrian: Canada Qualifies Dressage Team for Paris 2024**
In the team dressage competition’s second day, Team Canada aimed to secure a podium finish, which would grant them a spot at Paris 2024, as the United States had already qualified. The Canadian team, consisting of Camille Carier Bergeron, Naïma Moreira Laliberté, Beatrice Boucher, and Mathilde Blais Tetreault, came together to win the bronze medal behind the USA and Brazil. Their outstanding performance earned them a cumulative score of 431.937 points.
**Swimming: Another Record for Maggie Mac Neil**
Maggie Mac Neil, who set a Pan American Games record in the 100m butterfly, achieved another Pan Am record by winning gold in the 100m freestyle with a personal best time of 53.64. She was joined on the podium by Brazilian Stephanie Balduccini and American Catie De Loof, while Canada’s Mary-Sophie Harvey narrowly missed the podium.
In the women’s 200m breaststroke, Sydney Pickrem secured gold, followed closely by teammate Kelsey Wog for silver. On the men’s side, Brayden Taivassalo claimed silver in the 200m breaststroke.
Canada also won bronze in both 100m backstroke events through Danielle Hanus and Blake Tierney.
Maggie Mac Neil and Mary-Sophie Harvey teamed up with Javier Acevedo and Gabe Mastromatteo to win the silver medal in the mixed 4x100m medley relay.
**Water Ski: Major Medal Haul for Team Canada**
Team Canada excelled in water ski events, winning six medals. In the women’s slalom event, Paige Rini and Neilly Ross secured silver and bronze, respectively. Dorien Llewellyn earned silver in the men’s jump and tricks events, showcasing remarkable resilience following an ankle injury.
Rini and Llewellyn will compete in the overall event, which includes all three disciplines.
**Rowing: Podiums for Women’s Pair and Quad Sculls**
Abby Dent and Olivia McMurray won silver in the women’s coxless pair event, and the women’s quadruple sculls team claimed bronze, with Kendra Hartley, Parker Illingworth, Alizée Brien, and Shaye De Paiva.
**Diving: Silver for McKay and Miller**
Canadian divers Caeli McKay and Kate Miller secured silver in the women’s 10m synchro, adding to their impressive performances.
**Taekwondo**
Marc-André Bergeron won a bronze medal in the men’s +80kg event, repeating his success from the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games.
