When Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson reunited as volleyball teammates nearly two years ago, they did so with the goal of making history together.
That's exactly what they did on Wednesday at the Paris Games.
The Toronto duo reached the semifinals with a 21-18, 21-18 victory over Spain's Daniela Álvarez and Tania Moreno at the Stade de la Tour Eiffel. The result ensures they will become the first Canadian women's beach volleyball team to compete for an Olympic medal.
“I think this is the first step of what we promised,” Humana-Paredes said.
On Thursday, the semifinalists will face Switzerland's Nina Brunner and Tanja Hueberli. A win would guarantee a spot in Friday's gold medal match, while a loss would guarantee a spot in the bronze medal match later in the day.
Watch live coverage of their semifinal match at 11 a.m. ET on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Olympics app and CBC Gem.
WATCH | Full replay of Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson's quarterfinal victory:
Watch the women's beach volleyball quarterfinal action as Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson of Canada take on Daniela Álvarez Mendoza and Tania Moreno Matveeva of Spain at Paris 2024.
Wilkerson and Humana-Paredes played indoor soccer together at York University before focusing on beach soccer with other teammates.
At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, they placed fifth after falling in the quarterfinals. Wilkerson teamed up with Heather Bansley at those Games, while Humana-Paredes played with Sarah Pavan.
Both players said they noticed a connection on the court when they met. When their previous partnerships dissolved in 2022, returning to the same side of the net made sense.
“We were teammates back then, then we were rivals and now we’re teammates again,” Humana-Paredes said. “So we have both sides of that foundation in our relationship.”
“I think when we came together it came from a real place of admiration, trust, respect and [thinking]“Wow! We could do great things together.
It didn't take them long to get some good results. Last year, they finished fifth at the World Championships and won silver at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
Currently ranked seventh in the world, they had a 1-2 group record but edged out podium favourites Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth of the United States in the round of 16.
“All the teams are top-notch, so it’s a tough game every time,” Wilkerson said. “We’ve faced a lot of challenges before we get to this point, so we embrace the tough times and make something really beautiful out of them.
“I am very proud of our team, our resilience, our courage and the promises we made to each other to continue to be there.”
WATCH | Full replay of the surprising victory over the Americans Nuss, Kloth:
Watch the women's beach volleyball action as Canada's Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson take on Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth in the women's final round of the Olympics.
Just like the day before, Humana-Parades and Wilkerson won the big points when it counted, on a warm, sunny afternoon in front of a sold-out crowd.
“Really, the theme of our team is to control our team and make sure we don't get caught up in overthinking things,” Wilkerson said.
The Spanish duo played well on both units, but the Canadians shone in the final. Wilkerson was a powerhouse on the net and Humana-Parades showed great defensive ability.
Spain committed eight offensive errors to Canada's four in the first meeting between the two teams.
“It was very important for us to stay patient and steadfast, together, connected,” Humana-Paredes said. “We had to make big plays when we needed to.”
Brazil's Ana Patricia Silva Ramos and Eduarda Santos Lisboa also qualified with a 21-16, 21-10 victory over Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova of Latvia.
In the other semi-final, they will face Australians Mariafe Artacho of Photo Voltaic and Taliqua Clancy.
Canada's only Olympic medal in the sport came in 1996, when the men's duo of John Baby and Mark Heese won bronze in Atlanta.
Humana-Paredes' father, Hernán Humana, coached the Baby-Heese team at those Games.
As a young person at the time, Humana-Paredes recalled that they emphasized unity, heart and mindfulness rather than things like percentages.
“That's what I believe [we have] “In our team,” Humana-Paredes said. “I think we have intangibles. “I think we play volleyball for the fun of it and for the fun of discovering our true potential.”
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