MONTRÉAL, QC (June 23, 2016) – The final two Olympic spots for Canoe Kayak events will be decided this Friday morning at the Olympic Basin in Montréal. A race-off to select the Olympic nominations in the Women’s K2 500m will take place at 10:16 between the crew of Genevieve Orton and Kathleen (KC) Fraser and the crew of Michelle Russell and Madeline Schmidt.

Russell (Fall River, NS) and Schmidt (Ottawa, ON) won both finals at the first set of Sprint National Team Trials at the start of May. Russell had already qualified an Olympic quota spot for Canada at World Championships last year so was ineligible to qualify another quota spot. The second place crew of Orton (Lake Echo, NS) and Fraser (Toronto, ON) raced and won at the Pan American Continental Qualifier to earn Canada the two additional quota spots in the event. As prescribed in Canoe Kayak Canada’s selection criteria, both crews will line up next to each other at National Team Trials 2 and the winner of the head-to-head race will be awarded the Olympic entry.

In Paracanoe events, Christine Gauthier (Pointe-Claire, QC) and Erica Scarff (Toronto, ON) will race in their respective events on Sunday to solidify their selection to the Canadian Paralympic Team. This is the first Paralympic Games to include Paracanoe events marking an historic first in the sport. Canoe Kayak Canada has played a leadership role at the international level in developing Paracanoe and steering it towards inclusion in the Paralympic Games.

Canoe Kayak Canada will unveil its roster of Olympic and Paralympic Team athletes in Montréal on Monday in partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee.

The three-day National Team Trials will also be used to select athletes for the ICF Canoe Sprint Junior and U23 World Championships taking place in Minsk, Belarus from July 28 to August 31. Results of the trials will impact carding selections for Sport Canada’s Athlete Assistance Program.

Start lists & Results

WHEN:  Friday, June 24 (K2 race-of at 10:16 a.m. / races 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.)

Saturday, June 25 (8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.)

Sunday, June 26 (8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.)

WHERE: Bassin Olympique, Parc Jean Drapeau, Ile Notre-Dame, Montréal, QC

Jean Drapeau Metro Station

About Canoe Kayak Canada

Canoe Kayak Canada is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada. Canoe Kayak Canada has been one of Canada’s top performing summer sports having won an impressive count of 24 Olympic medals. Canoe Kayak Canada is a member-based organization which 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:

Ian Miller
Communications and Marketing Officer, Canoe Kayak Canada
613.314.1352
imiller@canoekayak.ca