A Saint John boxer is adjusting her season plans after being selected for a Youth Olympic Qualifier in Thailand.
Seventeen‑year‑old Suri Pafford earned the spot after a week‑long assessment camp in Montreal, where athletes were evaluated through sparring, training sessions and seminars.
She said it was an honour to be chosen for the 60‑kilogram category and described the camp as an intense week that helped her learn at a level she hopes to reach in her career.
Athletes take part in a national training camp in Montreal. Image: Submitted by Suri Pafford
Balancing a difficult decision
Pafford said she learned after the camp that the Thailand qualifier is scheduled just three days before the Canadian Nationals in Calgary.
The 14‑hour time difference and travel demands would leave her with only one day to recover before competing again, which she felt would not be safe in a sport as physical as boxing.
She added that the qualifier also does not guarantee a Youth Olympic spot, as countries may only receive a limited number of entries.
“The Youth Olympic qualifier doesn’t secure a spot on Team Canada,” she said.
“Nationals gives me a seat on Team Canada, and the world championships are this year. I feel like I’m not giving anything up — I’m just aiming higher.”
Pafford said her long‑term goal is to compete at the 2032 Olympics, which also influenced her decision.
She explained that choosing Nationals and the world championships offers a clearer development path toward that goal.
She discussed the decision with her coaches, Joe and Ed Blanchard, along with her family, and now feels confident in her choice.
Suri Pafford with her coach, Joe Blanchard. Image: Submitted by Suri Pafford
Growth inside and outside the ring
Pafford began boxing at eight and has now competed in 23 matches, including international bouts in Ireland.
Her mother, Krista Beshara, said she has watched her daughter grow through each stage of the sport.
Beshara said she has seen major changes in Pafford’s confidence and independence, especially during recent trips where she travelled and trained without family.
“Where she is now at the boxing level compared to even this time last year, she’s grown a lot,” Beshara said.
“But the biggest growth I see is almost outside of the ring.”
Pafford said those experiences helped her prepare mentally for high‑level competition, describing mental toughness as a key part of the sport.
Pafford will compete at Nationals in Calgary in March, with hopes of advancing to the world championships later this year.
She will also headline the Saint John Golden Gloves card on April 25 at the Lord Beaverbrook Rink, where boxers from the United States, Ireland and across Canada are expected to compete.
Canada added to its medal total Monday with a bronze medal in women’s slopestyle skiing.
Megan Oldham of Parry Sound, Ontario finished third in the event, which challenges athletes to navigate a course of jumps, rails and aerial tricks judged on difficulty, execution and style.
Canada’s first medal came earlier in the competition when speed skater Valérie Maltais of La Baie, Quebec earned bronze in the women’s 3,000-metre long track event — her first individual Olympic medal and Canada’s opening medal of Milano-Cortina.
They’ve trained hard to reach their goal, the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The Games are underway in Milano and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
Three New Brunswickers are ready to represent.
Short track speed skaters Courtney Saurault of Moncton and Rikki Doak of Fredericton will compete, along with Brendan Corey, who is originally from New Brunswick. He’ll be competing for Team Australia in the same sport.
Serving in support roles with the men’s hockey team are David Alexander of Moncton, as goaltending consultant; Ryan Hamilton of Fredericton, as mental performance consultant; and Mitchell Furlotte of Bathurst, as hockey operations manager.
Jessica Sears of Memramcook has been selected to the Canadian Olympic team mission staff as a registered massage therapist, providing support to the hockey, figure skating and speedskating teams.
Raoul LeBlanc of Memramcook will be a member of the technical judges panel in figure skating.
“It’s a proud moment to see athletes representing New Brunswick at the Winter Olympic Games in Italy,” said Premier Susan Holt. “As they compete on the world stage, they carry with them the support and encouragement of people back home who will be cheering them on, every step of the way.”
The 2026 Winter Olympics continue until February 22.
With the recent announcement of Canada’s Olympic ice hockey team for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, northwestern Ontario can look back with fondness at the area players who have represented Canada in past competitions.
Most notable is in the 1936 games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where Canada, represented by the Port Arthur Bearcats, lost out on a gold medal because of a controversial decision regarding eligibility and the tournament’s format.
The Bearcats were granted the right to represent Canada after the Halifax Wolverines, winners of the 1935 Allan Cup over the Bearcats, disbanded prior to the 1935-36 season.
The Port Arthur club would eventually be supplemented with players from other clubs, but still had several members from the 1934-35 season, including Max Deacon of Schreiber, James Haggarty, Ray Milton, Jackie Nash, Alex Sinclair, and Bill Thompson.
Johnny Coward, who grew up in Fort Frances, was on the winning side of the 1936 Olympics, skating for Britain’s team.
Coward was playing in the English National League at the time of his selection.
Port Arthur-born Gerry Davey was also on Britain’s team.
Henry Akervall in Germany at the Olympics, 1964, Cairine Budner fonds at Lakehead University Archives, accessed January 6, 2026, https://digitalcollections.lakeheadu.ca/items/show/3194
Hank Akervall captained Canada’s entry at the 1964 games in Innsbruck, Austria, where the team lost its final two games to miss out on a medal for the first time.
Wayne Stephenson, who was born in Fort William but learned to play hockey in Winnipeg, played in the next winter Olympics held in Grenoble, France, where Canada won bronze.
Chris Lindbergh of Fort Frances skated for Canada at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France.
Lindbergh joined the national team the season before, and was among the team’s top scorers during the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons.
Canada finished in a three-way tie for first in their pool but earned the top seed over the Unified Team, recognizing nations of the former Soviet Union that broke up just before the games, and Czechoslovakia.
The Canadians edged Germany, then upset the Czechs to reach the gold-medal game against the Unified Team, but lost 3-1.
Lindberg scored Canada’s only goal.
The silver medal was Canada’s first Olympic medal in ice hockey in 32 years.
Two years later, Greg Johnson of Thunder Bay was the region’s representative on Team Canada in Lillehammer, Norway.
Canada earned silver after a shootout loss to Sweden in the final.
Northwestern Ontario’s representation continued when NHL players made up the Olympic teams in 1998.
Dryden’s Chris Pronger was part of the team that lost in the bronze medal game to Finland in Nagano, Japan.
Pronger would make four consecutive Olympic appearances, winning gold in 2002 and 2010.
Thunder Bay’s Eric Staal, Mike Richards of Kenora, and former Fort Frances resident Duncan Keith were also members of the 2010 team that won gold a dramatic overtime game over the United States in Vancouver.
Keith and Patrick Sharp of Thunder Bay were selected for the 2014 gold medal-winning team in Sochi, Russia.
Staal was back with Team Canada in 2022, selected as captain and helping to win bronze at Gangneung, South Korea.
There have been several players with ties to Fort Frances who have suited up for Team USA.
Robert Rompre of International Falls was selected to the 1952 team that earned a silver medal at the games in Oslo, Norway.
His college hockey career had been interrupted that year when he was drafted by the United States Marine Corps for the Korean War.
The Marine Corps allowed him to skate for the US when news of his selection was made.
Rompre scored eight goals in the tournament, including 4 in the team’s opener against Finland.
A 3-3 tie with Canada secured Rompre and his American teammates a silver medal.
Ed Sampson and Dick Dougherty were part of the 1956 USA team that won a silver medal at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
Both were born in Fort Frances, but held US citizenship and lived in International Falls.
Sampson was a member of the Fort Frances Canadians at the time of his selection, while Dougherty was starring with the Warroad Lakers senior club.
Dan Dilworth was selected to the 1964 American team that finished 5th at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.
Dilworth, who had played hockey in Fort Frances, was coming off a strong season with the USHL Waterloo Black Hawks, where he led the team in scoring in the 1962-63 season.
The 1972 Olympic team saw three from International Falls make the squad.
Keith Christianson and Tim Sheehy, who were born in Fort Frances but played hockey in the Falls, were members of the US National team for three years leading up to the games.
Fellow International Falls resident Mike Curran joined them and helped the American squad to a silver medal at Sapporo, Japan.
Bob Mason and Gary Sampson were the last from International Falls to make an Olympic team, selected for the 1984 US team, which had a 7th-place finish.
Sampson was born in Atikokan but raised in the Falls.
Mason and Sampson were also teammates at the University of Minnesota-Duluth before joining the national team after their college careers.
Northwestern Ontario has also had representation on the rosters of other countries than Canada and the US.
Bob Deperio and Tom Milani of Thunder Bay played for Italy in the 1984 Olympics.
The first games in this year’s winter Olympics will begin on February 5th.
Hockey Canada unveiled the 25-man roster for February’s Milan games.
Already named to the team earlier this year: 2-time gold-medalist Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Sam Reinhart and Brayden Point.
Jordan Binnington returns in goal, Darcy Kuemper and Logan Thompson will round out the crease..
Another 2-time gold medalist returns on the blueline in Drew Doughty.
He’s joined by Thomas Harley, Josh Morrisey, Colton Parayko, Travis Sanheim, Shea Theodore and Devon Toews.
Youngster Macklin Celebrini will be at forward, along with Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, Bo Horvat, Brad Marchand, Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, Nick Suzuki and Tom Wilson.
Fans have been waiting and the moment is here! 🏒
Team Canada is ready to take the ice at Milano Cortina 2026! Meet the men’s hockey team representing Canada at the Olympic Winter Games. https://t.co/IXRP9gOJOQ
