In last-second reversal, Canada's women's water polo team qualifies for Olympics

The Canadian women's water polo team missed its last chance to qualify for the Paris Olympics. Then, all of a sudden, it didn't.

An 18-12 loss to Italy in the seventh-place classification match at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha on Friday was supposed to be the final straw for Team Canada, which was bidding for its second straight Olympic appearance and fourth overall.

But a few hours later, Water Polo Canada announced its women's team had "finally" qualified for Paris due to South Africa's forfeiture of its spot. The national sport organization added there were more details to come.

"It was a roller-coaster," said team captain Emma Wright. "Ups and downs for sure but I think once the dust settles obviously it's really big that we got that spot at the Olympics."

Canada finished the Doha tournament with an eighth-place result. It placed seventh at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

In Friday's match, Roberta Bianconi paced Italy to the win with five goals, while her teammates Sofia Giustini and Silvia Avegno each added four goals apiece.

Verica Bakoc was Canada's top scorer with four goals. Marilia Mimides and Hayley McKelvey each scored twice for Canada.

"It's so difficult to say what emotional state we are in right now because I think we went through all of them today way too much," said head coach David Paradelo. "But of course happy that we can go to the Olympics and prove ourselves better than we did this tournament.

"We are better, and the girls with all their hard work deserve this so much. And we'll make sure that we make the country and this sport proud."

Pickrem swims to bronze

Meanwhile in swimming, Halifax's Sydney Pickrem raced to bronze in the women's 200-metre breaststroke.

Pickrem touched the wall in two minutes 22.94, leaning on her stamina to reach the podium after lingering closer to fourth place through the first half of the event.

The Netherlands' Tes Schouten won gold at 2:19.81, while American Katie Douglass snagged silver with her time of 2:20.91.

WATCH | Pickrem earns bronze medal:

Canada's Pickrem claims 2nd medal at World Championships

9 months ago

Duration 4:00

Sydney Pickrem captured her second medal for Canada this time in the 200 metre breaststroke swimming race at the World Championships in Doha.

Pickrem, 26, collects her sixth career medal at worlds — five which have been bronze. She earned her lone silver earlier in Doha in the 200 individual medley, and she also swam the breaststroke leg as Canada won bronze in the women's 4x100 medley relay at the Tokyo Olympics.

Her two medals in Doha match the two individual medals she won at the 2019 worlds in Gwangju, South Korea. Friday's race marked Pickrem's fastest time since that event.

"Every [medal] is so special in their own right. It's been a long time since I've gotten to really compete in 200 breast internationally and I'm starting to get back into that this year. Being back at 2:22, it's been a while since I've been there," Pickrem said.

She withdrew from last year's world championships in Fukuoka, Japan, for mental health reasons.

In her poolside interview after the race, Pickrem said she'd be donating the stuffed animal she receives for her podium appearance to a nephew due to be born within 24 hours.

Canada has 10 medals in Doha (two gold, three silver, five bronze) heading into the final weekend of competition. Canadian swimmers have accounted for six of them (one gold, one silver, four bronze).

Live streaming and extensive coverage of the aquatics worlds runs through Sunday on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.