First Championship Title in History for the Men’s Youth National Team at this Event
Ottawa, May 27, 2025 - Water Polo Canada’s Men’s and Women’s Youth (U17) National Teams respectively won gold and silver medals at the PanAm Aquatics Championships held May 13-25 in Medellin, Colombia, making this the Canadian delegation’s best-ever overall finish at this event, for this age group.
This historic gold medal of the men’s team is the first ever championship title at this event for men of that age group. Previous best performances were third place finishes at the 2013, 2015 and 2017 editions.
The Canadian team started their round robin tournament with a 32-4 win against Venezuela, followed by a loss against Brazil (11-6). They then won their five following games, ending the round robin with victories of 20-7 against Chile and 22-3 against Costa Rica. In quarterfinals, Canada won 23-4 against Argentina and then, in semifinals, they beat USA by a score of 17-11.
In finals, Canada got their revenge on Brazil with a 11-10 victory, as Canada was led by Joshua Coxford (Langley, B.C.) and Ivan Khramtsov (Mississauga, ON), who both scored three goals each, as well as Nash Porter (Langley, BC) who was named Most Valuable Player for this game.
Khramtsov was named Most Valuable Player for the men’s tournament and ended the tournament tied for second place in the scoring standing with 19 goals.
A total of 11 teams took part in the men’s event.
“We took this tournament one game at a time, staying focused on what was in front of us and trusting our preparation”, said Ivan Khramtsov. “Every match brought new challenges, and we grew stronger as a team with each one. When it mattered most, we stayed composed and showed our resilience. Even after being down late in the final, we found a way to come back and win. This group has come a long way since last year’s U16 Worlds, where we got our first real taste of international water polo. This time, we came with experience, hunger, and a belief in each other. Our week of preparation before the tournament set the foundation, and every player stepped up when it counted.”
"The team went through a very positive transformation from the first day of the Sao Paulo camp to the last day of the competition in Columbia”, said Water Polo Canada’s Men’s U17 National Team Head Coach Andras Szeri. “In the two weeks leading up to the gold medal game, we played three times against Brazil, and we lost every single game by three to five goals. Winning the gold medal game against Brazil took everything we had, and the team rose to the occasion. We had both excellent individual performances and some very inspiring teamwork. Although we were not the favorites going into the tournament, we proved that we deserved this trophy, the first panamerican trophy for a Canadian Men’s Team since 2016 (Junior National Team). We are now looking forward to growing the program in preparation of the U18 World Championships in 2026."
Silver Medal for the Canadian Women’s Team
On the women’s side, Canada started the tournament with three wins: 28-24 against Mexico, 25-9 against Brazil and 21-9 against Argentina. They then lost 16-10 against USA, before bouncing back and winning 28-13 against Colombia and 24-1 against Peru. In finals, USA won the battle again, by a score of 18-7.
Canadian player McKenna Pineda-McLean (Calgary, AB) took the third spot in the scoring ranking with 30 goals.
A total of seven teams were in action.
"I was very surprised and impressed by how quick the team came together in the little time we had before PanAm Aquatics Championships”, said Team Captain McKenna Pineda-McLean. “I think the tournament overall went very well. Obviously, we would’ve liked to win but I’m very proud of how much better we got each game and continued to play for each other. I think this team has a lot of potential and I’m excited to see what the future holds for all of us."
“These two weeks, our team had an amazing progression”, added Water Polo Canada’s Women’s U17 National Team Head Coach David Paradelo. “Starting from one week training in California where we were able to come together for the first time, the athletes were hungry for more every day and the staff was easily able to get the girls in a professional behaviour that lead to a quick evolution of the team chemistry. We were able to start the tournament in Colombia setting the tone in the first few games. We were able to maintain this through the tournament, yet lacked some composure in the games versus the USA. The girls learned a lot within adversity from in and out of the water in an experience that will teach them for their future in water polo and in life. I would like to thank the athletes, the athletes’ club coaches, the parents and our whole staff for the support and for making this event a positive experience for all of us.”
The 2025 Pan Am Aquatics Championships was the first edition of this multisport event including competitions in diving, swimming, high diving, synchronized swimming and water polo. Water polo previously presented its own Pan American Championships for its different age groups. The water polo competition at the 2025 PanAm Aquatics Championships was for athletes of 17 and under, in 2025.
More details are available at https://medellin2025.panamaquaticsevents.com/deporte/esquema/4/deporte/44.
Canadian Team at the 2025 PanAm Aquatics Championships
Men’s Team (U17)
-Joshua Coxford (Langley, BC - Fraser Valley)
-Jackson Culbreath (Surrey, BC - Surrey Water Polo)
-Elliott Griffoen (Surrey, BC - Fraser Valley)
-Elias Houidef (Montreal, QC - CAMO)
-Julian Karharmanliev (Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC - DDO Water Polo)
-Ivan Khramtsov (Mississauga, ON - Mavericks)
-Elliott King (Surrey, BC - Fraser Valley)
-Noah Loo (California, USA - South Coast Aquatics)
-Pavle Aleksandar Mladenovic (Langley, BC - Fraser Valley)
-Nash Porter (Langley, BC - Fraser Valley)
-Oliver Rais (Kirkland, QC - DDO Water Polo)
-Adam Rashed (Delta, BC - Fraser Valley)
-Rami Salem (North York, ON - Shadow Water Polo)
-Darion Wang (California, USA - Calgary Wild / Oaks Christian)
Support Staff:
Head Coach: Andras Szeri
Assistant Coach: Gyula Toth
Team Manager: Zoltan Csepregi
Team Therapist: David Oh
Women’s Team (U17)
-Lujayn Abdelfattah (Ottawa, ON - Capital Wave)
-Adelaïde Bilodeau (Montreal, QC - CAMO)
-Airi Cowie (Maple Ridge, BC- Surrey Water Polo)
-Auden Dolejsi (Toronto, ON - Shadow Water Polo)
-Ava Kyfiuk (Calgary, AB - Calgary Renegades)
-Adelyn Kyfiuk (Calgary, AB - Calgary Renegades)
-Jennika Linthicum (Regina, SK - Team Sask)
-Tara Marunica (Calgary, AB - Calgary Renegades)
-Clara Milleker Shyiak (Regina, SK- Team Sask)
-Sonia Paun (Kirkland, QC - DDO Water Polo)
-McKenna Pineda-McLean (Calgary, AB - Calgary Renegades)
-Yasmine Sówka (Greely, ON - Capital Wave)
-Alexandra Stoddard (Abbotsford, BC - Fraser Valley)
-Alexandra Wilson (Ottawa, ON - Capital Wave)
Support Staff:
Head Coach: David Paradelo
Assistant Coach: Kyra Christmas
Team Manager: Émilie Cassidy
Team Therapist: Remi Pearl
