Saunders won’t be denied spot

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This article was published 01/12/2014 (4254 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Six months after making Canadian racquetball history, Winnipeg court star Jennifer Saunders is now one step closer to battling for Pan American Games gold.

Over the weekend, Saunders cruised to first place at the Racquetball Canada national team selection event in Kitchener, Ont., triumphing over a nine-woman field to claim the singles crown. The tournament was the first qualifier to select members of the Canadian team that will compete at home at the 2015 Pan Am Games, slated to be held in Toronto in July.

Saunders won all three of her matches without dropping a single set. In the final, she beat Regina’s Christine Richardson 15-9 and 15-4 to claim first place.

The win comes near the end of a banner calendar year for Saunders. In May, she cemented her place in the record books when she pulled off a gutsy comeback win in the final at the Canadian Racquetball Championship to claim the title. It was her fifth consecutive national championship, and eighth since she won her first in 2002. That makes her the winningest woman in Canadian singles racquetball history.

Saunders already has a bevy of international hardware. She earned silver in women’s singles at the Pan Am Games in 2004 and 2010, as well as bronze in 2008. She and Richardson also teamed up to claime doubles bronze in 2012.

While one local racquet sport star was continuing her winning ways, Manitoba’s badminton scene was celebrating a whole new wave of provincial champions.

New badminton champs

Of the seven athletes who claimed gold medals at last weekend’s provincial badminton tournament, five were making their first trip to the top of the podium.

On the women’s side, Haley Nakonechny bested Misilyna Wu to win her first singles title. The two then teamed up to play Kathryne Desautels and Colleen Gillespie in the women’s doubles final. Desautels and Gillespie emerged victorious in that category, making it Gillespie’s first provincial gold.

In men’s play, Andrew Harrison claimed his third singles championship in four years when he beat Kevin Barkman, who was playing in his first provincial final. Those two also paired up for the men’s doubles, where they emerged victorious against Ian Laidlaw and Dale Kinley.

In mixed doubles action, Wu and Laidlaw competed against Kinley and Nakonechny. After the latter team took the first game, Laidlaw and Wu won the next two to claim their first championship gold.

All of the winners will join Team Manitoba for the 2015 Canada Winter Games, set for February in Prince George, B.C.

They will train with Olympians Toby Ng and Grace Gao over the holidays, with a doubles exhibition game to be held at Wheelies on Dec. 29. Attendance is free, but donations are welcomed.

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca