U of T community members head to Paris Olympics as members of Team Canada

(L-R) Former U of T Varsity Blues athletes Heather Bansley, Michelle Li, Kylie Masse, Lucia Stafford and Jazz Shukla will be competing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (photos by Essene Hernandez/Eyepix Group/LightRocket/Getty Images, Shi Tang/Getty Images, Al Bello/Getty Images, Andy Astfalck/BSR Agency/Getty Images, MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Five former Blues athletes have qualified to represent Canada at the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games this summer – and will be joined in host city Paris by several University of Toronto staff and community members.

Four-time Olympic medalist Kylie Masse (BKin 2021) has been named a co-captain of the Canadian swimming team at the Games, which take place July 26 to Aug. 11, while former Blues badminton star Michelle Li is set to make her fourth Olympic appearance and beach volleyball player Heather Bansley (HBA 2010 UC) qualified for her third straight Summer Games.

Track and field alumnae Jazz Shukla and Lucia Stafford (BSc 2021) are off to their first and second Games, respectively.

Meanwhile, at the Paralympic Games, which take place Aug. 28 to Sept. 8., former Varsity Blues rower Alina Dumas (HBSc 2017 NEW) is set to represent Brazil as coxswain of its PR3 coxed four crew.

The athletes will be joined in Paris by several U of T staff members and alumni.

Byron MacDonald, who enters his 47th season as Varsity Blues swimming head coach this September, heads to his 10th Olympic Games as a broadcaster, while assistant head coach Linda Kiefer (BPHE 1983, BEd 1984) heads to her sixth Olympic Games as a swimming coach. Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE) alumnus and U of T staff member Ron Castro (BPHE 2005) was also named a massage therapist to the Canadian swimming team. 

Former Varsity Blues volleyball player and head coach Ed Drakich (BASc 1985) is set for his fifth Olympic Games as a volleyball technical official. He also represented Canada as an athlete in 1996. 

Jane Thornton (MD 2014), Team Canada’s chief medical officer, earned her Doctor of Medicine from U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine in 2014. 

Here’s a brief snapshot of the U of T community members who will be representing Canada as the Games get underway later this week:

Kylie Masse – Swimming

A member of the Varsity Blues swimming team from 2014-2019, Masse has already put together a lengthy career full of highlights ahead of a third Olympic appearance.

She claimed her first Olympic medal at the 2016 Rio Games, earning bronze in the 100-metre backstroke. She then set a new world record while winning the 100-metre backstroke at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest.

Masse would go on to defend her 100-metre backstroke world championship at the 2019 FINA World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, propelling her to a three-medal performance at the 2020 Tokyo Games, where she took silver in both the 100-metre and 200-metre backstroke events, and added a bronze as part of Canada’s 4x100m medley relay.

During her time with the Varsity Blues, Masse went undefeated at five consecutive Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships without losing an individual or relay race. The five-time OUA female swimmer of the year, five-time OUA first team all-star and the 2015 OUA female rookie of the year also twice won the Dr. Jeno Tihanyi award for individual medley excellence and earned major grand slams in all three backstroke events.

Michelle Li – Badminton

Competing with the Varsity Blues badminton team during both the 2009-2010 and 2012-2013 seasons, Li is appearing at her fourth Olympic Games.

She made her Olympic debut at the 2012 London Games, competing in both the women’s singles and doubles events, earning an impressive fourth place result with her partner Alexandra Bruce. She then went on to qualify for both the 2016 Rio Games and 2020 Tokyo Games in the women’s singles, achieving a top 10 finish at the latter.

Among the most successful Canadian female badminton players ever, Li is a six-time Pan American Championships singles gold medalist and the first Canadian woman to win singles gold at the Commonwealth Games.

At U of T, Li helped the Varsity Blues to their first OUA championship title in 10 years, earning OUA female MVP and OUA all-star honours during the 2012-13 campaign. In that season she won both the OUA and Canadian university women’s singles titles, while partnering with Grace Gao to win the women’s doubles titles.

Heather Bansley – Beach Volleyball

A former Varsity Blues student-athlete between 2005-2010 and assistant coach during the 2021-22 season, Bansley is now getting set to head to her third Olympic Games as a member of Team Canada.

Considered among the best defensive players in the world, she previously competed at the 2020 Tokyo Games and the 2016 Rio Games with partner Brandie Wilkerson, placing fifth overall at both international showcases. Bansley has been a dominant player throughout her career on the FIVB beach volleyball world tour, winning the world's best defender honour three times (2018, 2016 and 2015). In 2018, she and Wilkerson reached the No. 1 ranking in the world.

While a student-athlete at U of T, Bansley was a two-time all-Canadian who finished first on the OUA and U SPORTS leader board in points, kills and serving aces per set during the 2009-2010 season. She helped lead the Blues to a provincial title and a spot in the U SPORTS national championship.

Lucia Stafford – Track and Field

An alumna of the Varsity Blues track and field and cross country teams between 2016-2020, Stafford will be heading to her second Olympic Games after winning her third Canadian women’s 1500-metre title. A semifinalist at the 2020 Tokyo Games, Stafford recently set a new Canadian record in the women’s 2000-metre in her Diamond League debut, breaking the previous mark set 30 years ago by Angela Chalmers.

While with the Blues, Stafford was named both U of T’s T-Holders’ female athlete of the year and the OUA female athlete of the year across all sports in her senior season. She earned individual OUA and U SPORTS gold medals, an OUA silver with the women’s cross country team, nine provincial medals and 10 national medals with the track and field team across her four seasons of competition.

Jazz Shukla – Track and Field 

A Varsity Blues track and field and cross country athlete between 2016 and 2022, Shukla qualified for her first Olympic Games after winning the Canadian women’s 800-metre title. After a steady ascent up the rankings since graduating from U of T, her 1:58.20 time at the Canadian Olympic trials marked the second fastest trials time in North America.

Since jumping back into competition in the 800-metre event in 2022, Shukla has continued to improve her time with each outing. She most recently competed at the 2023 Canadian National Championships, 2023 World Championships and 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships.

Shukla’s time at U of T coincided with impressive results and recognition. With the cross country team, she earned U SPORTS first team all-Canadian and OUA first team all-star honours in 2021.

Originally published by U of T News