Burnaby soccer star Christine Sinclair appointed to Order of Canada
B.C.'s own Christine Sinclair is among those appointed to the Order of Canada this week.
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B.C.’s own Christine Sinclair is among those appointed to the Order of Canada this week.
The 34-year-old Burnaby-born soccer star was one of 99 new appointments to the Order of Canada announced prior to Saturday’s 150th anniversary of Confederation. Former Vancouver Canucks captain Mark Messier was also appointed to the Order.
Sinclair led Team Canada to back-to-back bronze medals at the Olympics, and has scored 168 goals in 259 games in her international career. Under Sinclair’s captaincy, Team Canada has risen to No. 4 in the world rankings, an all-time high.
“I think what’s special for me is that this goes beyond soccer,” Sinclair said in a statement.
“I am a very, very proud Canadian, I am proud of where I am from, and to be recognized in this nature is surreal. It’s not something you can dream about happening to you. I can dream of winning a World Cup or an Olympic gold medal, and that’s my job, but to have your country recognize you — I don’t even know what to say.”
This fall, Sinclair and Team Canada will play two matches against their American counterparts. The first of two friendly matches will be Nov. 9 at B.C. Place Stadium, while the second takes place Nov. 12 in the U.S.
Sinclair said reaching the No. 1 world ranking is a goal within Canada’s grasp.
“When I was a rookie it would have been hard for me to say at 16 years old that we want Canada to be No. 1 because that was not realistic, but that’s what we are driving towards now and it’s completely realistic,” she said.
— With files from Canadian Press
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