EDMONTON (Canada) – Ruth Hamblin doesn’t know what it means to give up, particularly when she’s wearing the jersey of Canada’s national team. With a roster starring WNBA stars Kia Nurse and Natalia Achonwa, Hamblin will be the tallest woman on the court and one of the responsible players for substituting injured center Kayla Alexander.

During this Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Edmonton, the 6’6” and 25-year-old pivot shall contribute to the gap left by who was the main player for the Canadians in the most recent AmeriCup, who’s absent here due to an injured knee. Hamblin, who currently plays for Russia’s Dynamo Novosibirsk, will responsible not only for defending the paint but also for contributing offensively from the bench to create a space in Canada’s scheme.

“We certainly miss Keila. She’s a great presence in the court,” said Hamblin to FIBA.basketball. “So, I try to go strong in there, play physically to try to take the defense and open up for our shooters.” And that’s precisely what she did against Cuba in the first game of the tournament, where the Canadians didn't need much more from Hamblin than four points and four rebounds in 13 minutes of action to dismantle the Cubans, 110-53.

“It feels amazing to get this first win here at home. We have a great group of players and it's fun to play in front of our fans and that they feel proud,” said Hamblin after the triumph on Thursday.

Lista Thomaidis’ team arrives to the tournament after winning the silver medal in September's FIBA Women's AmeriCup, which was a strong step forward to achieve a qualification to their third consecutive Olympic Games after their eighth place in London 2012 and seventh place in Rio 2016, which was after they were left out of the 2004 and 2008 editions. Hamblin, who has WNBA experience with the Dallas Wings and has a series of vlogs on YouTube that follow her career and says she's ready to do everything in her power to achieve the ticket to Tokyo 2020.

“It’ll take everything we've got. Now it's win or go home. Everything's on the line,” said Hamblin. “We live for these moments, to play under pressure. That’s what we want because we want to be there in Tokyo.”

At least that pressure in this tournament will be balanced by the fact of being at home and in front of thousands of fans rooting for the red and white colors. “It’s amazing to be here in Edmonton,” said Hamblin about the chance of playing at home. “The city has helped us in so many ways, so it's fun to be able to play in front of them and give Canadian fans a taste of what we can do.”

Canada will play three games; against Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic, to get the ticket to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in February 2020.

Emmanuel Márquez
FIBA