Carleton and Team Canada one step closer to Olympic berth

Chatham’s Bridget Carleton and the Team Canada women’s basketball team is one step closer to qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Canada’s Senior Women’s National Team defeated Puerto Rico 77-68 on Sunday in Colombia to close out the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament with an undefeated 3-0 record.

Canada already booked their ticket to the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in February 2024 with Friday’s 70-53 victory over Colombia. Bridget Carleton had a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double.

Canada opened the tournament with a lopsided 81-39 win over Venezuela. Carleton had 10 points, as all 12 Team Canada players scoring points.

“[The tournament was] good in terms of results, but we have to work a lot from now until February because of the level of the rivals in February,” Team Canada head coach Víctor Lapeña said in a statement on Team Canada’s website.

“I trust in my players. They know what they did good, what they did wrong and what they have to work on. I think [we will] calm down, get some rest and look forward to the future.”

There will be 16 teams advancing to the Qualifying Tournament, where they will compete for 10 tickets to the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The Canadian women’s basketball team is currently ranked fifth in the world rankings.