Team Canada collected four medals and a Paralympic quota at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup and Para World Championships, as we paddle closer to Paris 2024.
The Para World Championships kicked off the four-day event with Team Canada demonstrating their podium power in the lead-up to Paris. Brianna Hennessy secured Canada’s first medal, capturing the silver medal in the VL2 200m event, less than two seconds behind Great Britain. Brianna also finished 5th place in the KL1 200m.
Para training partner, Erica Scarff, just missed the podium, finishing 4th in the VL3 200m final with a time of 1:00.19.
Mathieu St. Pierre managed to secure the final Paralympic quota for Canada in the VL2 200m event, finishing 7th overall and locking up a spot for Canada on the start line in Paris.
On the first day of Sprint World Cup finals, Katie Vincent and Sloan Mackenzie flexed their C2 muscle, powering down the course in silver medal position behind the gold medalists from China. Canadian training partners Sophia Jensen and Julia Lilley Osende also lined up in the A Final, narrowly missing the podium, finishing .23 hundredths of a second behind the Spanish boat to settle for fourth place.
Carrying over some momentum from the first day of finals, Katie and Sophia lined up again in separate boats, in a highly competitive C1 200m final. The racing was so tight that it did not become clear until the last 10 meters that Katie Vincent would secure the gold medal. Canadian teammate, Sophia Jensen crossing the line in a photo finish, in second place. Canada would stand 1,2 on the podium in Szeged, Hungary.
Other notable results include a 4th place finish in the K1 500m event by kayaker Michelle Russell. The veteran paddler is certainly making her mark as one to watch for Paris 2024 with a consistent push for the podium, winning gold at the 2023 Santiago Pan American Games. Simon McTavish finished 6th overall in the men’s K1 500m event.
Both men’s and women’s K4 teams benefitted from the international experience as they gear up for the start line in Paris. The men’s K4 finished 9th in the A final with less than 2 seconds separating them from the podium.
“World Cup Szeged was a highly competitive event and the last and best chance to test ourselves against the best in the world ahead of Paris,” said CKC’s Chief Technical Office, Ian Mortimer. “We are headed home with a final Paralympic quota, four medals and strong performances across all of our disciplines, building us up towards Paris.”
The final Canoe Sprint qualification event for Paris will be held in Montreal, Quebec at the National Team Trials from June 21-23.