At the recent World Team Disc Golf Championship, which took place in Australia, Karen Martel and Canada were able to win the bronze medal.
As part of a delegation of twelve players for Canada, Martel helped his country reach the podium. Still in Australia, the Victoriaville native was very satisfied with Canada’s results. “There were 23 countries competing. We had a good level of play. It’s certain that we were in the top 3. If we weren’t, we would have been disappointed. Of course it would have been nicer to have a first or second place. But, all in all, we are happy. Let’s just say it’s been a big journey for everyone,” she commented.
On a personal level, Karen Martel was really proud of her results. She contributed in her own way, during the first day of activities, by winning her two matches, against China (doubles) and Latvia (solo). “I was really happy with my game. I’m happy to see that I was able to compete at a high level. The routes here were really long. It highlighted the quality of my game. It bodes well for the future,” she stressed.
“For the rest of the competition, the last three days, I spent my time on the pitch supporting the team. I also took videos and images of the team to have more visibility and raise more funds for future editions,” she continued.
Some adaptation
Setting foot in Australia for the first time, Martel had to go through a period of adaptation upon arriving in the largest country in Oceania. “It was my biggest trip ever,” she said. Along with her team, she arrived on site a week before the tournament, also to familiarize herself with the time difference. The disc golf player was, however, able to benefit from spring temperatures, while the country is used to extreme heat. Australia’s big cities were also a challenge for her. “Moving from Victoriaville to Sydney was something. It also confirmed to me that I prefer throwing Frisbees in nature to taking a bus ride in big cities,” she said with a laugh.
Future
During the next weekend, Karen Martel will participate this time in the Aussie Open, a more standard tournament, which will take place once again in Australia. “It will be a good challenge,” she said. Please note that this will be his last competition of the year. She will then take time to rest, because she badly needs it, she said. And then, she will begin to plan the tournaments in which she will participate in 2025. Some are already planned. She also plans to take part in the next Canadian Championship, which will take place in Ontario.
