Ottawa, Ontario – The Canadian canoe slalom team has kicked off the International Canoe Federation World Cup Series in Lee Valley, Great Britain, the site of the 2012 Olympic Canoe Slalom competition. The series will consist of five world cups all held in Europe, three of which will take place in June and the final two will take place in August.
Cameron Smedley of Dunrobin, Ontario improved on his qualification run and finished the race placing 14th overall in the men’s canoe event. Smedley narrowly missed his goal of breaking into the top 10 final; however, two touches totally four penalty seconds added to his run time pushed him outside of the top 10.
Michael Tayler did not improve on his qualification run and finished 33rd overall on a run that included six penalty seconds. Nonetheless, Tayler was encouraged by his early success in the competition and is eager to resume racing next weekend at World Cup 2.
Quotes:
“My semifinal run felt really good. I knew I needed to keep calm and be patient on the run since it was such a technical course. My penalties kept me out of the final, which was tough but also good to see that with a clean run I can challenge for a spot in the final.” Cameron Smedley, Dunrobin
“Being back in London for the first time after the Olympics has been great. I felt like I had something to prove on this course after the Games and I’m happy to have put down a personal best in the qualifiers. I could have had a better semifinal run but it’s encouraging to know that I can be top 10.” Michael Tayler, Ottawa
The Canadian Team is now training in Ljubljana, Slovenia and preparing for the second World Cup held June 13-15. The team is eager to get back to racing on the Slovenia race course which is known for a daunting drop over a dam at the start and build on the success of World Cup 1.
Summary of Results (World Cup 1 – Lee Valley, Great Britain)
| Athlete | Event | Result |
| Cameron Smedley (Dunrobin, ON) | Men’s C1 | Advanced to semifinal;14th in semifinal (105.39) |
| Michael Tayler (Ottawa, ON) | Men’s K1 | Advanced to semifinal;33rd in semifinal (106.20) |
| David Ford (Edmonton, AB) | Men’s K1 | 44th in heats (103.02) |
| Ben Hayward (Edmonton, AB) | Men’s K1 | 52nd in heats (107.04) |
CanoeKayak Canada is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada. The organization’s vision is to be a Canadian sport for families, communities and champions. From supporting clubs to developing a competitive National Team, CanoeKayak Canada works to grow a sport which is a rich part of Canada’s heritage.
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For more information:
James Cartwright
Slalom High Performance Manager, CanoeKayak Canada
613.715.0727 | 613.260.1818 x 2205
jcartwright@canoekayak.ca