Shady ElNahas Completes Bouquet ofCanadian Medals with Bronze
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Julien Frascadore, who won a gold medal at the PanAmerican/Oceania Championships in Calgary in September, had only one ambition on Saturday at the Pan-American Games: To climb to the top of the podium once again.
“It’s not the outcome I was hoping for, especially after I won the PanAmerican Championship. I’m disappointed with how the final ended. I faced some tough challenges today, and I was able to overcome them all, so losing in the final leaves a bit of a bitter taste,” said Frascadore, moments before the medal ceremony.
“I knew the Venezuelan would be dangerous right from the start of the bout. I quickly had to turn up the aggression in order to set the tempo and keep the fight moving. But he was very fast, and I get the impression he executed his game plan perfectly,” added Frascadore.
To reach the final, Frascadore defeated Robin Sergio Jara Arana of Mexico, Lenin Preciado of Ecuador and Juan Postigos of Peru in three straight matches. According to the Canadian, his bout against Preciado in the quarter-final was his best of the day.
“When I look back, I think I’ll be proud of this medal. I think I had a great day, especially against the Ecuadorian. I’ve fought him in the past, and the bouts are always tough. I followed my coach’s instructions, and I’m really proud to have beaten him,” explained the 23-year-old athlete.
Canadian coach Sasha Mehmedovic agrees, stating that he saw great things from Frascadore today. He is also convinced that while Frascadore may be feeling a little bitter right now, with hindsight he will be immensely proud.
“Julien was excellent today [Saturday]. He appeared to be in complete control, and I could see that he was feeling confident. The Venezuelan very effectively countered our game plan. Julien is disappointed, and that’s normal. But soon, he’ll be happy with it, and he’ll come back even stronger next time. I’m sure of it,” said Mehmedovic.
On Sunday, Canadians Isabelle Harris (-63 kg), Antoine Bouchard (-73 kg) and David Popovici (-81 kg) will all be in action at the Pan-American Games.
