SHAWINIGAN, QUEBEC (Monday, July 10th, 2017) — The competition was intense amongst top paddlers from Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Australia who gathered in Shawinigan, Quebec for the second and final leg of the Sprint Canada Cup Regatta series. Ottawa hosted the first leg of the competition over the Canada Day weekend.
In Shawinigan, more than 240 athletes, from juniors through to some of Canada’s best canoers and kayakers, gained valuable experience as they make final preparations for major national and international events this summer.
“Regattas like this provide some of the best learning opportunities,” said CKC Director of Development, Ian Mortimer. “Athletes get to compete in a wider variety of races here than they do in the major national and international contests. It gives them a chance to learn and improve against world class competitors.”
Team Ontario came out of the two weekend competition as the overall winners of the Canada Cup, in large part due to the stellar performance of their Women’s Kayak Team, led by August Sibthorpe (Ottawa, ON), Genevieve L’Abbe (Ottawa, ON), Lucy Pennyfather (Oakville, ON) and Lexy Vincent (Ottawa, On).
Team Canada shone in Men’s Canoe coming off of last week’s battle with Mexico at Canada Cup #1 in Ottawa. Mark Oldershaw (Burlington, ON) won the C-1 1000M, while Craig Spence (Dartmouth, NS) came second. Former world champion, Jose Everado Cristobal Quirino of Mexico, who won a thrilling race last week, came third. Oldershaw also won the C-2 1000M alongside Mark James (Waverley, NS). Among the other highlight performances was the Canadian Men’s Kayak Team that took gold in the K-4 500M, which will debut as a new event at the 2020 Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo.
The local supporters were given their own reason to celebrate. Club de canotage du Shawinigan’s U16 Women’s Team finished third in the K-4 500M, earning a medal for the hometown club.
With the Canada Cup now completed, Team Canada will be preparing for the Junior, U23 and Senior World Championships later this summer, while the provincial teams are gearing up for the Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg in early August.
Complete event results can be found 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:
Ian Mortimer
Director of Development
(O) 613.260.1818 ext 2201
(M) 613.323.2264