Canadian slalom kayaker David Ford clinched an Olympic berth for Canada on Sunday at the Pan American Championships in Foz do Iguassu, Brazil.Mohamed Sanu Jersey . Ford, a five-time Olympian from Edmonton, Alta., placed first in the Mens K-1, earning Canada its only Olympic berth in slalom Canoe/Kayak for London 2012. His teammates, Paul Manning Hunter and John Hastings, finished just outside the podium, in fourth and fifth place respectively. Fords best Olympic result was a fourth-place finish in the 2004 Summer Games in Athens. This weekends competition was the final chance to qualify Canadian boats for the 2012 Summer Games in London. Team Canada needed to place first in each of the four events in order to earn a spot in the Games. Canadas highest-ranked female slalom kayaker, Jessica Groeneveld of Innisfail, Alta., placed second in the Womens K-1 final, behind 15-year-old Ana Satila Vieira Vargas of Brazil, just missing an Olympic berth. Vargas, who will be 16 on Tuesday, surprised everyone with her first-place performance to secure a boat for Brazils national team in London 2012. Fellow Canadian Thea Froehlich also landed on the podium with her third-place performance, and teammate Sarah Boudens placed eighth. Cameron Smedley of Ottawa, Ont., was a close contender for the first-place spot after the semifinals of the Mens C-1, but a heartbreaking finish put him in third place, with teammate Julian Potvin-Bernal in fifth. Also competing at this weekends championship were brothers and C-2 partners Daniel and Thomas Purcell of Innisfail, Alta., who placed fourth, and Adam and Jamie Cutts of Ottawa, Ont., who placed sixth. Now that the team has earned a spot in the Summer Games, the next step for Canadas paddlers is the national qualifying competition in mid-April, when the mens K-1 squad will compete in a series of time trials for the chance to represent Canada in London 2012. Dane Sanzenbacher Jersey .com) - Top-seeded former winner Novak Djokovic, who survived an injury scare, and defending champion Andy Murray highlighted Fridays third-round winners at Wimbledon. Domata Peko . At the moment, neither do the decision-makers. Dustin McGowan is front-and-centre in this ongoing saga, having thrust himself into the conversation with a dominating three-inning performance against the Phillies on Thursday, just hours after manager John Gibbons appeared to pour cold water on the notion.BOSTON -- Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz is apparently so popular in the city that some residents think he should be mayor. Ortiz, fresh off his third World Series championship with the team, received several write-in votes in Tuesdays election. But contrary to initial reports, Ortiz did not finish third in the balloting. City elections officials say 560 write-in votes were ccast altogether, but they dont count those not cast for declared write-in candidates. Vincent Rey Bengals Jersey. Therefore, the exact number of votes the World Series MVP received is unclear. State Rep. Marty Walsh got almost 52 per cent of the vote to beat City Councilor John Connolly in the contest to replace Thomas Menino, the citys longest-serving mayor, who decided not to seek re-election. ' ' '
