The silver medal is but a consolation prize, but there might exist a silver lining for Scott Tupper.
The devastating, emotional and teary loss in the men's field hockey gold-medal final against rival Argentina at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico this weekend knocked the Canadians from an automatic berth to the 2012 London Summer Games. A tough, back-door qualification now lies ahead.
Canada has battled Argentina in the Pan Am final every time since 1975 and has won on four of those nine occasions. The most recent win in 2007 earned the team, including Tupper, a trip to the Beijing Olympics.
Although he'd take the gold over an individual point, Tupper, a 24-year-old Kitsilano resident and Prince of Wales graduate, scored Canada's lone goal in the 3-1 defeat.
"You sort of know it's your time to have an impact on the game and you can step up," he said Monday after returning home from Mexico. "To be able to put one in was really nice."
The goal, scored on a set play off a penalty corner, brings a positive and confident mindset he can feed off.
"In those sort of pressure moments, it's something I can hang onto and use, especially going forward into another qualifier next year," he said.
Tupper scored more goals at these Pan Ams than any other Canadian. With nine goals in five games, he topped the list of all field hockey players at the 42-nation tournament.
The loss is especially tough because it may foreshadow the retirement of two revered veterans, captain Ken Pereira, 38 with 336 caps, and Rob Short, one year older with 334 caps.
"Those guys are really, really close friends to me and I think I've been really lucky to have them to learn from. To learn what it takes to represent Canada and what type of competition level it requires every time you put on a Canadian jersey," said Tupper, a five-foot-eleven defender who has 143 caps, the fourth-highest number of appearances on the national team.
"They won't like me saying this, but at their age, which is older in our sport, they keep doing it and they keep doing it at the highest level."
The road to the Olympics is not blocked but it will be rocky, he said.
"It's going to be difficult but I think it's doable. We're turning our minds to that and moving on."
He can turn his mind to those goals still to come.
Twitter: @MHStewart
