MONTRÉAL, QC (May 13, 2017) – Sprint paddlers opened a new quadrennial of competition today at the Olympic Basin in Montreal, QC. Athletes competed for selection to National Teams including the contingent to represent Canada at World Cup competitions in Europe later this month.
“I was very excited to see some great performances to start these trials,” said Graham Barton, Chief Technical Officer of Canoe Kayak Canada. “It’s an encouraging start to the quadrennial and I am looking forward to the races tomorrow.”
Jarret Kenke (Saskatoon, SK) opened the afternoon finals with a win the in the Senior Men’s K1 1000m.
“It was tough. I made a lot of adjustments from heat to semi, and semi to final,” said Jarret Kenke. “I was taking really good strokes and putting everything together that we’ve been working over the past three and a half months, so it felt really good to see it all come together.”
In Senior Men’s C1 1000m, Craig Spence (Dartmouth, NS) led the field to beat out Mark Oldershaw (Burlington, ON), who finished second, and Roland Varga (Richmond Hill, ON) who finished third.
“It was pretty amazing. I knew that I had the strength to win it but when you’re going up against people like Mark Oldershaw … you know it’s never going to be an easy race,” said Spence. “I think the big step is learning to race against top notch paddlers. Coming into the last half, that feeling at the end of the race is a learning experience every time you go out there.”
Michelle Russell (Fall River, NS) won the Women’s K1 200m as she edged out Andréanne Langlois (Québec, QC) in a down-to-the-wire finish.
“It was a tough race and it feels good going into a new year and a new quad to know that I’m starting off on the right foot,” said Russell, who will also race the K1 200m at trials tomorrow.
Laurence Vincent-Lapointe (Trois-Rivières, QC) was also happy to get the new quadrennial off to a good start. With Women’s Canoe slated for inclusion on the Olympic program for the first time in 2020, this is the start of a new charge towards a long-sought-after dream.
“I think I’m starting on a good base,” said Vincent-Lapointe. “I definitely told myself that I wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t do everything in my power to go in four years.”
Paracanoe athletes raced their first of two finals taking place over the weekend. Classification categories were combined for the race with Zacharie Lauziere-Fitzgerald (Sherbrooke, QC) finishing first, Trinity Tratch (Calgary, AB) second, Troy Chown (Ottawa, ON) third and Mathieu St-Pierre (Shawinigan, QC) was fourth. Athletes are chasing performance standards for their events.
The two-day National Team Trials continue tomorrow.
Summary of Results
| Event | Result |
| Senior Men’s K1 1000m | 1) Jarret Kenke (Saskatoon, SK)
2) Marshall Hughes (Waverley, NS) 3) Brian Malfesi (Maple Ridge, BC) |
| Senior Men’s C1 1000m | 1) Craig Spence (Dartmouth, NS)
2) Mark Oldershaw (Burlington, ON) 3) Roland Varga (Richmond Hill, ON) |
| Senior Women’s K1 200m | 1) Michelle Russell (Fall River, NS)
2) Andréanne Langlois (Québec, QC) 3) Lissa Bissonnette (Sherbrooke, QC) |
| Senior Women’s C1 200m | 1) Laurence Vincent-Lapointe (Trois-Rivières, QC)
2) Katie Vincent (Mississauga, ON) 3) Anna Roy-Cyr (Lac-Beauport, QC) |
| Paracanoe KL VL 1,2,3 200m | 1) Zacharie Lauziere-Fitzgerald (Sherbrooke, QC)
2) Trinity Tratch (Calgary, AB) 3) Troy Chown (Ottawa, ON) 4) Mathieu St-Pierre (Shawinigan, QC) |
Start lists & Results
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.