Canadian medals and relay momentum highlight Day 10 at Rhine-Ruhr 2025
Team Canada continued its strong showing at the 2025 FISU Summer Games on Saturday, earning a pair of medals in artistic gymnastics and securing multiple finals appearances in athletics and rowing. Felix Dolci and William Emard closed out a record-setting gymnastics campaign with podium finishes, while Canada’s 4x400m relay teams impressed in qualifying rounds. On the water, crews advanced to Sunday’s finals, setting up another exciting day for Canada across three sports.
Artistic Gymnastics
Canada closed out its artistic gymnastics campaign at the 2025 FISU Games with a historic four-medal haul, highlighted by Felix Dolci’s gold in the men’s horizontal bar final on Saturday in Essen.
Dolci (Sainte-Anne-des-Lacs, Que. / LaSalle College) scored 14.633 to edge out Japan’s Daiki Hashimoto (14.100) and China’s He Xiang (14.066), earning Canada’s second gold of the Games and its first in gymnastics. It was his second medal after helping Canada to team silver earlier in the week.
William Emard (Laval, Que. / UQAM) claimed bronze in the men’s rings final with a score of 14.233, adding to his earlier all-around bronze and team silver to finish as Canada’s most decorated athlete of Rhine-Ruhr 2025. He also placed fifth in the parallel bars final (13.600).
In women’s apparatus finals, Evandra Zlobec (Baie-d’Urfé, Que. / Collégial International Sainte-Anne) finished fifth on floor (12.900), while Virginie Therrien (Montreal, Que. / CÉGEP André-Laurendeau) placed eighth on vault (12.333).
Athletics
A pair of 4x400m relay teams booked spots in the final and three Canadian athletes cracked the top 10 to headline Day 7 of athletics at the 2025 FISU Games.
In the men’s 5000m final, Thomas Laviolette (Mascouche, Que. / Montréal) surged with the lead pack and finished ninth overall in 15:04.32. Daxx Turner (Neepawa, Man. / Manitoba) matched that finish in triple jump with a best of 15.68 metres — one spot short of advancing — while competing with a broken toe.
Canada’s women’s 4x400m team of Paige Willems (Warman, Sask. / Saskatchewan), Shelby MacIsaac (Riverview, N.B. / UNB), Tyra Boug (Kitchener, Ont. / Western) and Favour Okpali (Toronto, Ont. / Western) won their heat and ranked third overall. The men’s squad of Keshawn Igbinosun (Toronto, Ont. / Brock), Benjamin Tilson (Windsor, Ont. / Windsor), David Moulongou (Ottawa, Ont. / Ottawa), and Joshua Duckman (Toronto, Ont. / Western) also advanced, finishing third in their heat.
In the women’s 5000m final, Elise Coates (Nanaimo, B.C. / Victoria) clocked a personal best of 16:13.85 to place 12th overall.
Miles Brackenbury (Kingston, Ont. / Queen’s) kicked off the day with a personal-best time of 1:08:32 in the half marathon, good for 32nd — eight places ahead of his seeding.
In the 4x100m, both Canadian relay teams fell just shy of qualification. The women — Vivian Ogor (Waterloo, Ont. / Western), Georgia Oland (Calgary, Alta. / Calgary), Emma Parnetta (Calgary, Alta. / Calgary) and Hannah Hagerty (Regina, Sask. / Saskatchewan) — ran 45.24. The men — Niko Dowhos (Thunder Bay, Ont. / Lakehead), Travis Campbell (Milton, Ont. / Guelph), Jordan Soufi (Winnipeg, Man. / Manitoba) and Rui Ramsay (Calgary, Alta. / Trinity Western) — posted a 39.95.
In the women’s hammer throw, Chelsea MacIsaac (Dalhousie) recorded a top effort of 56.29 metres. In the evening, Alec Purnell (Dundas, Ont. / McMaster) ran 1:49.63 in the 800m semifinals, finishing fifth in his heat and narrowly missing the final.
Decathletes Jake Neufeld (Saskatoon, Sask. / Saskatchewan) and Emanuel Desilets (Laval, Que. / Western) placed 13th and 15th overall, respectively. Neufeld earned personal bests in javelin (48.46m) and 1500m (4:47.21), and cleared 4.50m in pole vault. Desilets posted a PB in the 1500m (4:50.78), was second in hurdles group A (15.64), and vaulted 4.40m.
Canada wraps up athletics competition Sunday with the 4x400m finals: women at 11:25 a.m. and men at 11:40 a.m. (local).
Rowing
Canada’s rowing team delivered a mix of strong performances and final qualifications on Saturday at the 2025 FISU Games in Germany.
The women’s double sculls crew of Pepper Howe (Montreal, Que. / Victoria) and Catherine Chénier-Gagnon (Gatineau, Que. / McGill) won the B final in a time of 7:27.85 to finish seventh overall. Earlier in the day, the duo placed fourth in their semifinal.
In men’s single sculls, Charles-Étienne Tabet (Boucherville, Ont. / Brock) captured the C final with a time of 7:10.67, securing 13th place overall.
The men’s pair of Connor Attridge (Coquitlam, B.C. / Cambridge) and Robert Bryden (Calgary, Alta. / Durham) advanced to Sunday’s A final after placing second in their semifinal with a time of 6:49.41.
Meanwhile, the men’s double sculls team of Calvin Pally (Saskatoon, Sask. / Saskatchewan) and Keithan Woodhouse (Fonthill, Ont. / Brock) will race in the B final on Sunday after finishing sixth in their semifinal.
Also competing Sunday are Emily Munroe (Halifax, N.S. / Southern California) in the women’s single D final and the women’s four crew of Ceilidh Aho (Newmarket, Ont. / Guelph), Olivia Calbeck (Brantford, Ont. / Western), Madelyn Vandermeer (Rockwood, Ont. / UBC), and Ceilidh MacDonald (Barrie, Ont. / Queen’s) in the A final.
Catch all the final action and medal opportunities for Canada on FISU TV.
