Gabriel Ho-Garcia helped Canada earn its place at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio.
The Canadian men’s field hockey team earned a spot at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro following a shootout win over Brazil in its semifinal matchup at the Pan American Games in Toronto on July 23.
Canada went on to claim the silver medal at the Pan Ams following a 3-0 defeat to Argentina on Saturday.
Argentina had already claimed an Olympic berth with an earlier top-three finish at the 2015 World League semifinal in Buenos Aires.
As the fourth-place finisher at the Olympic qualifier, No. 15-ranked Canada, which upset two higher-ranked nations – Spain and New Zealand – at the World League semifinal, qualified for Rio with its appearance in the Pan Am Games final with Argentina.
Canada last qualified for the Olympics in 2008 in Beijing, where they finished in 10th place. In 2012, the Canadian men missed an Olympic berth following a loss to Argentina in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The Olympics has been a goal for our team from (the end) of Guadalajara four years ago,” said Adam Froese in a Canada field hockey press release.
Froese scored Canada’s shootout-winning goal against Brazil at the Pan Am Games.
“We’ve been working really hard as a group. The guys here, the guys who aren’t on the team today, we’ve all worked really hard. This is just a moment for all of us to enjoy those hard hours that we put in,” added Froese.
At the Pan Am Games, Canada won its earlier pool, beating Brazil, Chile and Mexico.
Ho-Garcia led Canada with four goals in an 8-1 win over Mexico, while New Westminster’s Brenden Bissett and Ho-Garcia both tallied a single goal in a 9-1 victory over Brazil.
In the quarter-finals, Canada topped Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 on July 21.
