Perrin: We will head into Tokyo prepared
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, February 28, 2020 – When Canada qualified
for the Rio 2016 Olympics, it marked the end of a 24-year wait
for the country to see its men’s volleyball national team back
on the biggest stage of international sport.
The fifth-place finish the North Americans achieved at the
Maracanazinho showed the world that the team were ready to stay
among the elite, and that’s the mindset the Canadians will bring
with them when they compete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics this
summer.
With part of the roster that secured the historical
qualification for Rio still available for selection, including
outside hitter and team captain Gordon Perrin, the Canadians
know that the stakes will be higher when they enter the Ariake
Arena in five months.
“Qualifying for Rio was very important for our programme, it was
a long process and has helped to grow the sport in Canada,” said
Perrin, who was the third-best scorer of the Canadian team in
Rio. “And of course there will be more ambition for results this
time in Tokyo. We have a good balance of experienced and some
young powerful players.”
The team’s results after Rio have been mixed, though, and it’s
hard to predict if the Canadians are in a position to claim a
semifinal appearance in Tokyo, as they did in Los Angeles in
1984, or even earn a medal.
The 2017 season certainly seems to indicate they have the
ability as they secured their first medal at the FIVB World
League with a sound victory over North American rivals USA in
the bronze medal match in Brazil.
The last two seasons, however, have been filled with good, but
not exceptional results. In 2018, the Canadians were seventh at
the inaugural edition of the FIVB Volleyball Nations League and
finished ninth at the World Championships in Italy and Bulgaria.
In 2019, the team were ninth at both the VNL and the World Cup
in Japan, and missed a first opportunity to book tickets to
Tokyo by finishing behind Argentina at the qualification
tournament in China. Their participation at their second
consecutive Olympics was confirmed at the NORCECA Olympic
qualification event in January 2020.
“In 2017 we were playing very confidently together,” the captain
reflected. “Following that Olympic year a lot of us were excited
to prove we could achieve more. I feel the years following we’ve
dealt with unfortunate injuries. Opposite Sharone Vernon-Evans
and I missed most of 2018 and last year we lost our two setters
to back injuries. It’s been tough to properly build momentum
when important players are out, but injuries happen and they’re
out of our control. I feel we have started building our team
character again and will head into Tokyo prepared.”
Canada’s first opponents in Tokyo are already set as the team
prepares to play in Pool A alongside Poland, Italy, Iran, Japan
and Venezuela. The pool is expected to see intense competition
for the four quarterfinal spots up for grabs as the Italians,
Iranians, Japanese and Canadians are currently ranked between
the seventh and tenth places in the world and are separated by
just 33 points.
“I don’t think the ranking positions will have a significant
impact in the matches, so we’ll be ready to battle every team so
we can be in the best possible position to advance,” the captain
explained. “Each match will be difficult in its own way, so
we’ll respect our opponents and prepare well. If we take care of
these things, I’m confident we’ll be in the quarterfinals.” |