WINNIPEG (September 1, 2024) – Team Canada is returning from the 2024 World Racquetball Championships with a gold, silver, and bronze medal, along with a 3rd place finish in the combined team standings.
In an historic achievement, Coby Iwaasa (Lethbridge) and Samuel Murray (Baie-Comeau) clinched the Men’s Doubles World Championship title by defeating the top-seeded team from Mexico in the final. This marks Canada’s first World Championship gold medal since 2006 and the nation’s first-ever gold in men’s doubles.
Iwaasa and Murray, along with Kurtis Cullen (Brandon) and Trevor Webb (Kitchener), also secured a silver medal in the Men’s Team Competition. Seeded 6th, the team made an extraordinary run, upsetting the 3rd-seeded Bolivian team in the quarterfinals and the 2nd-seeded Mexican team in the semifinals. Despite a valiant effort in the final, Canada fell to a strong United States team.
In women’s doubles, Frédérique Lambert (Montréal) and Juliette Parent (Saint-Jacques) earned a bronze medal in their first international tournament together. The team was impressive throughout the competition.
The women’s team, composed of Lambert, Parent, Danielle Ramsay (Saskatoon), and Christine (Keay) of New Westminster, advanced to the quarterfinals in the Women’s Team Event but faced a tough challenge against the top-seeded and eventual champions from Mexico.
Overall, Canada secured a 3rd place finish in the combined men’s and women’s standings.
The 2024 World Championships also served as a qualifier for the 2025 Chengdu World Games. Details on the nationals that qualified will be announced in the future.
Click here for complete draws and results.
The event was live-0streamed by the International Racquetball Federation (IRF). Recorded matches are available on the IRF YouTube Channel.
