LA SEU D’URGEL, SPAIN (September 29, 2019) – Team Canada qualified a second boat for Tokyo 2020 today in the men’s kayak semifinals at the ICF Slalom World Championships.

Ben Hayward (Edmonton, AB) finished 14^th in the semis to secure an Olympic quota spot in the K1 event. Canadian teammate Michael Tayler (Ottawa, ON) wrapped up his K1 event in 28^th overall.

“It’s such a huge weight off my shoulders to make it through this step,” Hayward reflects. “I am so happy to have qualified the spot and to deliver a run that I am proud to look back on.”

Although Hayward missed qualifying for the finals, his time in the semifinal run would have been strong enough for a 4^th place in the final.

“Looking ahead to Tokyo, this race validates that I can be in contention for a medal and I’m excited to work as hard as I can through the winter to get in the best shape possible.”

Team Canada secured two Olympic spots in the men’s C1 and K1 events this week with the next Tokyo qualification opportunity to take place at the 2020 Pan-Am Championships scheduled in Rio de Janeiro from April 3-5, 2020.

“I’m very pleased with the team’s performance in La Seu d’Urgell,” said James Cartwright, CKC High Performance and Coach Development Senior Manager. “We all worked together with a common goal to secure our entries for Tokyo. Two years ago, we set out to qualify four athletes for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, so today we will celebrate this milestone and tomorrow we will continue our preparation for the next Qualification race in Rio and the Tokyo Games.”

What:

2019 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships

Where:

LA SEU D’URGELL, Spain

MAP

Visit the event website and results here.

The Canadian entries are listed below.

To view Canada’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic Team Criteria, click here.