The basketball player from British Columbia, who is requesting a special exemption to be accompanied by her three-month-old daughter in Tokyo, is part of the team nominated by Canada Basketball for the women’s tournament.
We have a dynamic, tenacious and close-knit team, said head coach Lisa Thomaidis. We have a great mix of youth and experience, with three players who will live from the third Games and three rookies.
“Half of the team will have a first experience and we will rely on our collective experience for this adventure.
This is Canada’s third consecutive participation in the Olympic women’s basketball tournament. The team’s best result was a fourth place, obtained at the Los Angeles Games in 1984.
This will be the third Games for Gaucher, Natalie Achonwa and Miranda Ayim.
I have no greater honor than representing my country in the world for the past decade, said Achonwa. With the pandemic, the last year and a half didn’t seem like it was going to end. I can’t wait to get back to the team in Tokyo and put on the Canadian uniform.
I can’t believe this will be my third Olympics. Our goal is to bring a medal back to Canada. They say the third time is the right one, so hopefully this will be the summer when our dreams come true.
Canada is ranked 4th in the FIBA World Ranking.
The Canadian 12
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Natalie Achonwa (Guelph, Ontario)
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Kayla Alexander (Milton, Ontario)
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Laeticia Amihere (Mississauga, Ontario)
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Miranda Ayim (London, Ontario)
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Bridget Carleton (Chatham, Ontario)
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Shay Colley (Brampton, Ontario)
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Aaliyah Edwards (Kingston, Ontario)
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Nirra Fields (Montreal, Quebec.)
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Kim Gaucher (Mission, British Columbia)
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Kia Nurse (Hamilton, Ontario)
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Shaina Pellington (Pickering, Ontario)
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Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe (Toronto,Ontario)
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