SHERBROOKE, QUÉBEC (August 21, 2018) – Over 1000 athletes from close to 50 different canoe clubs across Canada are battling for top honours and national titles at the 2018 Canadian Sprint Canoe Kayak Championships this week on Lac des Nations in Sherbrooke, Québec. The event started Tuesday, August 28 and will continue through until Sunday, September 2 with the CanMas Championships. 

“We are delighted to be back in Sherbrooke again in 2018 for our biggest national event of the season”, said Canoe Kayak Canada’s Director of Development, Ian Mortimer. “The Canadian Championships is the most important event for the majority of our sprint paddling community and we are more than satisfied with the host organizing committee of Sherbrooke so far, the venue is amazing, and the athletes are enjoying the event, it is going very well”.

Individual events were held on the first and second day of the five days long event. Athletes from all categories competed over the distances of 200, 500, 1000 meters and even on the long-distance event of the 6000 meters in the U17 category. It was a difficult day for the athletes, where the strong wind and the intense heat made it challenging for all.

The Canadian Sprint Canoe Kayak Championships were delayed twice on the second day du to storms, with the first storm happening exactly between the qualifiers and the finals. The winds disrupted the site, but everything was quickly put back in order and all races were completed as the sun was going down.

On the third day, the crew boats events began, and a bigger crowed showed up at Lac des Nations. The C15 crew boats stole the show on this cool day.

Also known as the “war canoe”, the C15 races put the crews to the test following numerous crashes and protests, which forced the re-race of the U17 and U19 Junior Mixed C15 500 meters finals.

“Once you find yourself in the wave of another boat, the canoe becomes very difficult to control, it makes it much more difficult for the team captain to steer” says Nicolas Lemay, President of the Organizing Committee of the event.

Some boats were disqualified during a few successive rounds in these categories, forcing a new start. The spectators were full of sight and the athletes, certainly exhausted. In the end, Burloak (Mixed Senior), Lac-Beauport (Mixed Junior), Rideau (Mixed U17) and Lachine (Mixed U19) won the titles of the 200 meters.

On Friday, competitions featured Paracanoe athletes as well as Special Olympics and Paddle ALL programs athletes. The crew boat events also continued, giving way to other impressive warships and crew races of two and four athletes.

The day ended with a CKC Alumni cocktail while watching the final race of the day, the famous “Black Trophy” final. The crew of the Mississauga Canoe Club of Sean Barich, Evan Bezemer, Philipe Turcanu and Jack Tutty won gold, ahead of the Wascana Canoe Club and the Rideau Canoe Club.

The competitions will continue on Saturday with other crew races, where all clubs will be battling to collect as many points as possible to be named the best club in Canada. The day will end with the official announcement of the winning clubs and the presentation of National Champion burgees and trophies.

Visit the Canadian Sprint Canoe Kayak Championships website to get more information and watch it live on YouTube. Make sure to follow @CanoeKayakCAN  to get all live updates and visit the ImmediaC web app to get all results.

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About Canoe Kayak Canada

Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) 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.

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For more information :

Joannie Verret

Communications Coordinator

jverret@canoekayak.ca

(418) 271-3785