Nicholas returns from Pan Am Games with a silver medal

Blenheim’s Breanne Nicholas is returning from the Pan American Games with a silver medal.

Canada’s women’s rugby sevens women’s team concluded the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games with a 19-12 loss to the United States in the final on Saturday.

To get to the final, the women’s sevens team won 45-14 over Colombia in the semi-finals. Nicholas had a try and conversion in that game. Overall, Canada finished with a 4-1 record in Santiago, Chile.

“It wasn’t the outcome that we desired, but I thought that the performance throughout the weekend was excellent,” said Canadian head coach Jack Hanratty in a statement after the game.

“We’re disappointed, but we’re a group that’s building for Paris and with that we want to be in these gold medal games. It’s exactly the kind of preparation that we want, just not the outcome. [Overall] really happy with the group and excited to see where we can go next.”

Nicholas and Canada earned a gold at the 2019 Pan American Games.This is the third time in a row where Canada and the United States women’s sevens rugby teams have met in the Pan American Games finals.

Canada has already qualifyed for the 2024 Summer Olympics being held in Paris.