RACICE, CZECH REPUBLIC (August 24, 2017) – Canadians Laurence Vincent-Lapointe (Trois-Rivières, QC) and Katie Vincent (Mississauga, ON) clocked the fastest time of the day in the C2 500m heats and advanced directly to Saturday’s “A” Final at the ICF Canoe Kayak Sprint World Championships in Račice, Czech Republic.

Vincent-Lapointe is the reigning C1 World Cup Champion and the world record holder in the C1 200m. Her C2 partner, Katie Vincent, is coming off an impressive performance at the U23 Sprint World Championships in Romania where she captured gold in the Women’s C1 200m.

Other Canadian crews advancing to “A” finals included Ryan Cochrane (Windsor, NS) and Pierre-Luc Poulin (Lac Beauport, QC) in the Men’s K-2 200m, and on the women’s side, Courtney Stott (Oakville, ON) and Alanna Bray-Lougheed (Oakville, ON) in the Women’s K-2 1000m.

Photo: Balint Vekassy

The only Canadian to compete in a final today was Erica Scarff (Toronto, ON) who delivered her best-ever finish at a World Championships, finishing fourth in the Paracanoe KL3 200m.

“This is a terrific result for Erica,” said Graham Barton, Chief Technical Officer for Canoe Kayak Canada. “She’s shown steady improvement over the last three years: from a 7^th place finish in 2015, to 6^th last year, and now just one spot away from a medal. She’s definitely established herself as one of the best in the world.”

Photo: Balint Vekassy

There are several Canadians to watch on Day 3:

• The Men’s K-4 crew of Maxence Beauchesne (Trois-Rivières, QC), Ryan Cochrane (Windsor, NS), Marshall Hughes (Waverly, NS), and Pierre-Luc Poulin (Lac Beauport, QC) will look to make a statement in their 500m heats. At last month’s U23 Sprint World Championships, the Canadian crew came within one-tenth-of-a-second of a gold medal;
• Laurence Vincent-Lapointe is the pre-race favourite heading into the Women’s C-1 200m heats;
• 2012 Olympic medallist, Mark Oldershaw (Burlington, ON), will team up with Mark James (Dartmouth, NS) in the C-2 1000m competition;
• Andreanne Langlois (Quebec, QC) will draw on 2016 Olympic experience in the K-1 200m; and,
• Coming off a strong performance in the Women’s K-2 1000m, Courtney Stott and Alanna Bray-Lougheed will team up with Lisa Bissonnette (Sherbrooke, QC) and Natalie Davidson (Ottawa, ON) in the K-4 500m.

Watch live coverage online and find a complete summary of race results here.

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.

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For more information:
Joannie Verret
Communications Coordinator
jverret@canoekayak.ca
(418) 271-3785