TORONTO, July 27, 2007 -- York University student Shannon Condie triumphed early at the XV Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, landing a silver medal in taekwondo on the third day of the Games, which continue until Sunday. Another top athlete from York, wrestler Ohenewa Akuffo brings home a silver, and an alumna of York demonstrated her archery skills in competition.

Condie, who is doing a double major in Kinesiology and English at York, finished second in the featherweight (57 kg) category, building on her success as four-time Canadian senior champion (2004-07). Career highlights for the 19-year-old student, whose goal is to become a teacher and a high-performance coach for Canada, include gold medals from the 2006 Commonwealth Taekwondo Championship and 2006 International Women’s Goodwill Olympic tournament.
(Photo:  Shannon Condie courtesy of the Canadian Olympic Committee.)

Akuffo, who has been taking business part-time in York’s Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies and is preparing for the 2008 Olympics, won a silver medal in the women’s freestyle (72 kg) wrestling competition on Thursday. The 28-year-old, who is profiled in YorkU magazine, is the 2007 senior Canadian champion, an honor she has won five times in the past decade.

Kateri Vrakking, who graduated from York with a BEd in 2002, finished 11th in archery this week. She was silver medalist at the 2006 Canadian championships.

 

There are 470 Canadian athletes competing at the Pan Am Games, which the Canadian Olympic Committee is using as an opportunity to prepare for the 2008 Olympics.

 

 York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 200,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 11 faculties and 24 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.

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Janice Walls
Media Relations Coordinator
York University
416-736-2100, ext. 22081
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