Five Burnaby athletes have qualified or have been chosen to represent Canada on the international stage of their respective sports.
Rowers Connor Attridge and Quinn Storey, wrestlers Justina Di Stasio and Ana Godinez Gonzalez, as well as skaterboarder Ryan Decenzo are heading to Santiago, Chile, this week for the 2023 Pan American Games.
Di Stasio is the returning veteran of the quadrennial event that features 41 countries from North, Central and South America.
The rest are looking to strike gold in their first-ever tip to the Games, which take place Oct. 20 to Nov. 5.
Here are bios of the Burnaby athletes (in alphabetical order):
Connor Attridge
Attridge is currently strokes in his third eligible year for the University of Victoria (UVic) men's rowing team.
Last year, the 22-year-old business student won a silver and bronze medal at the Western Canadian University Rowing Championships in the 8+ and 2- competitions.
The former SFU Rowing Club member's best international finish is ninth with Canada's 8+ team from the 2022 World U23 Rowing Championships.
Ryan Decenzo
At 37, Decenzo is the veteran skateboarder of the Burnaby-based athletes.
However, he'll be a rookie this time as skateboarding makes its Pan American Games debut for Santiago 2023.
Decenzo's résumé spans 20 X Games, including four gold and two bronze since 2010, and a 2011 Dew Tour championship.
He also won the 2008 Tampa Am prior to turning pro, which, in skateboarding circles, is considered the world’s most prestigious amateur contests.
Decenzo's best finish with Canada at the Skate World Championships was 11th in 2018 and 2022.
Justina Di Stasio
Di Stasio is a two-time medallist at the Pan-Am Games, winning the 76kg gold at Lima 2019 and 75kg silver at Toronto 2015.
The Burnaby wrestler will look to make the podium once more in hopes it'll catapult her to Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Her international career also includes a gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, gold at the 2018 United World Wrestling Championships and bronze at the same event in 2017.
Di Stasio has been wrestling since she was 12 years old, according to her Canadian Olympic Committee profile, and was exposed to international competition at the 2011 Junior World Championships after she won the first of her back-to-back junior national titles.
She graduated SFU with an English degree in 2015 and recently started a career in teaching.
Ana Godinez Gonzalez
Godinez Gonzalez is also looking to make the mat at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
The Burnaby athlete is heading to Chile in hopes of taking home a Pan-Am Games gold to add to her Pan-Am Championship collection with United World Wrestling.
She won back-to-back golds in the 62kg event at the Pan-Am Champs in 2022 and 2023, as well as silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the same weight class.
Godinez Gonzalez won the United World Wrestling U23 championships in 2021, and followed up with a bronze in 2022.
Quinn Storey
Storey is set to write the next chapter of his young career in Santiago this week.
The Burnaby rower will be entering his first Pan-Am Games with Canada's regatta.
In 2022, he won silver with the University of Victoria 8+ rowing team at the Western Canadian University Rowing Championships.
Storey teamed up with Attridge to claim bronze in the 2- contest at the same event.
