SEU D’URGELL, SPAIN (September 8, 2017) – Canoe Kayak Canada’s Canoe Slalom team is back on the river in La Seu D’Urgell at the International Canoe Federation’s Canoe Slalom World Cup Final. This is the last event in the five-race World Cup series where double points will be allocated to the athletes who finish inside the semi-finals and finals to count towards the overall World Cup title.
Cameron Smedley of Dunrobin, Ontario lead the Canadian team placing 8th in the men’s C1 qualification round and advanced directly to the semi-final after his first race run. Cameron Smedley’s clean run was just 2.96 seconds back from Slovakia’s Alexander Slafkovsky who posted a run time of 97.37.
“I’m thrilled to see Cameron race like he did today just two weeks out from the World Championships in Pau. Cameron showed us a lot of composure on the race course while running safe lines through the gates. He is very fast when he executes his race plan so I’m looking forward to cheering for him on Sunday!” said Canoe Kayak Canada slalom high performance manager. Cameron will also be racing in the Extreme slalom quarter final on Saturday after finishing 16th in the time trial. Canadians, Spencer Pomeroy (Ottawa) and Liam Smedley (Dunrobin) placed 42nd and 57th overall in the men’s C1 event.
The race course in Seu D’Urgell, Spain. Photo: Planet Canoe
Hometown favorite, Nuria Vilarrubla performed under pressure and set the standard in the women’s canoe event leading the qualifications round with a time of 114.07 seconds. Calgary’s Haley Daniels placed 46th overall.
In men’s kayak event, France’s Boris Neveu returned to world-class form and won the qualification round setting the quickest time of the day of 91.52 seconds. Edmonton’s David Ford finished 58th, Austin Atkins of Chilliwack placed 67th while Ottawa’s Michael Tayler finished 69th.
In the women’s kayak event, Florence Maheu of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield had a challenging day on the Parc Olympic del Segre whitewater course and incurred 50 second penalties for missed gates on both her race runs. Florence ended the day in 59th position. Germany’s Ricarda Funk set the fastest run in the course posting a time of 102.37. Florence also advanced to the Extreme Slalom Quarter Final placing 14th in the qualification round.
Sunday’s finals will be webcast on CBC’s digital platforms including the CBC Sports app and cbcsports.ca. CBC Sports is the Official Broadcast Partner of Canoe Kayak Canada.
CBC webcast times – watch online at cbcsports.ca or via the CBC Sports app.
- Saturday at 7:30 a.m. EST
- Sunday at 7:30 a.m. EST
Summary of Results
| Athlete | Event | Result |
| Cameron Smedley
(Dunrobin, ON) |
Men’s C1 Slalom | 8th Advanced to semi-final |
| Spencer Pomeroy
(Ottawa, ON) |
Men’s C1 Slalom | 42nd final result |
| Liam Smedley
(Dunrobin, ON) |
Men’s C1 Slalom | 57th final result |
| Haley Daniels
(Calgary, AB) |
Women’s C1 Slalom | 46th final result
|
| David Ford
(Edmonton, AB) |
Men’s K1 Slalom | 58th final result |
| Austin Atkins
(Chilliwack, BC) |
Men’s K1 Slalom | 67 th final result |
| Michael Tayler
(Ottawa, ON) |
Men’s K1 Slalom | 69th final result |
| Florence Maheu
(Salaberry de Valleyfield, QC) |
Women’s K1 Slalom | 59th final result |
| Florence Maheu
(Salaberry de Valleyfield, QC) |
Women’s Extreme Slalom | 14th Advanced to quarter final |
| Cameron Smedley
(Dunrobin, ON) |
Men’s Extreme Slalom | 16th Advanced to quarter-final |
About Canoe Kayak Canada
Canoe Kayak Canada is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada, one of Canada’s top performing summer sports with a total of 24 Olympic medals, and a leader in the Paralympic movement. Canoe Kayak Canada is a member-based organization that includes an intricate network of clubs as well as provincial, territorial and divisional paddling associations. Elite National Team athletes proudly represent Canada at various competitions around the globe – most notably the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Pan American Games, ICF World Cups as well as Junior, Under 23 and Senior World Championships. Follow Canoe Kayak Canada on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
-30-
For more information:
Joannie Verret
Communications Coordinator
jverret@canoekayak.ca
418-271-3785