Canadian Olympian Humana-Paredes has her eyes on LA28, but she's embracing being home

Melissa Humana-Paredes doesn't get many chances to play beach volleyball on home soil. When she does, Montréal has been a pretty good place to make the most of it.

Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson return to Parc Jean-Drapeau this week from Aug. 19-23 for the Montréal Elite16, where they'll look to build on last year's title.

The Canadian pair beat Germany's Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann in straight sets, 21-15, 22-20, to win the 2025 event — their first title together.

For Humana-Paredes, the chance to compete at home remains a big deal.

"It is so nice to be able to play on home soil because we rarely get to do it," Humana-Paredes said. "Montréal, especially, they show up. They are some of the best sports fans that I've seen and been able to play in front of."

Melissa Humana-Paredes on LA 2028, women’s sports & Canada’s Olympic journey

For Humana-Paredes, it's also exciting to see the growing support for women's sports across Canada. From hockey and soccer to basketball, more fans are showing up — and she believes the momentum is only getting started.

"This is a momentum that we've been waiting for and we're going to continue to ride," she said. "It's just a really proud feeling to be a female athlete and to see people show up and continue to show up."

She wants that type of momentum to last well beyond her own career.

While Montréal is the focus now, Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson are already thinking about their next Olympic run.

LA 2028 is about two years away, but with Olympic qualification beginning in 2027, the planning has already started.

"LA 2028 has been top of mind for a long time now," Humana-Paredes said. "It goes by really fast. The rollercoaster is starting, and the journey is well underway."

Whil