LA SEU D’URGELL, SPAIN (June 10, 2016) – Cameron Smedley and Michael Tayler have racked up enough points after the opening heats at ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup 2 to definitively secure their selection to the Canadian Olympic Team.
Cameron Smedley (Dunrobin, ON) had a strong second heat in the Men’s C1, putting him through to tomorrow’s semi-final and landing his name on the roster for Rio.
“I am happy that I pulled it together on the second run and put down a quick time,” said Smedley. “I’m pretty ecstatic to finally finish the selection process and win the Canadian C1 entry. I’m really looking forward to racing in Rio in August.”
Smedley was fourth in the heats last week and finished fifteenth overall in semi-finals at World Cup 1 after a few touches kept him out of the top-ten final. Tomorrow he’ll have another chance to break into the final and compete for a medal. His top World Cup result to date has been a ninth place finish in 2012.
While Michael Tayler’s 49th place result in Men’s K1 today didn’t get him through to the semi-final, it did assure him enough of a lead in the points to earn selection to the Canadian Olympic Team.
“It is an incredibly tough battle every four years for just the one spot at the Games,” said Tayler. “I want to say thank you to all of my teammates and especially Ben Hayward and John Hastings for constantly pushing the bar higher for Canadian slalom.”
Tayler (Ottawa, ON) won all four runs at Canadian Team Trials in May giving him a significant lead in the Olympic selection process. His competitor Ben Hayward (Edmonton, AB) finished one spot ahead of Tayler today in 48th place. Neither athlete broke the top-40 to secure additional points towards Olympic selection. With only one World Cup left before Rio, there are not enough points up for grabs for Hayward to catch Tayler. These will be Tayler’s second Olympic Games. He placed 20th at the London 2012 Games.
Tomorrow’s finals will be webcast on CBC’s digital platforms including the CBC Sports app and cbcsports.ca. CBC Sports is the Official Broadcast Partner of Canoe Kayak Canada.
CBC webcast times – watch online at cbcsports.ca or via the CBC Sports app.
- Saturday at 6:30 a.m. EST
- Sunday at 6 a.m. EST
Results
Summary of Results
| Athlete | Event | Result |
| Cameron Smedley (Dunrobin, ON) | Men’s C1 | 25th in heat
Advanced to semi-final |
| Michael Tayler (Ottawa, ON) | Men’s K1 | 49th in heat
Did not advance |
| Ben Hayward (Edmonton, AB) | Men’s K1 | 48th in heat
Did not advance |
| Spencer Pomeroy (Ottawa, ON) | Men’s C1 | 40th in heat
Did not advance |
| Jessica Groeneveld (Innisfail, AB) | Women’s K1 | 44th in heat
Did not advance |
| Haley Daniels (Calgary, AB) | Women’s C1 | 26th in heat
Did not advance |
| Toby Roessingh (Calgary, AB) | Men’s K1 | 73rd
Did not advance |
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.
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For more information:
Ian Miller
Communications and Marketing Officer, Canoe Kayak Canada
613.314.1352
imiller@canoekayak.ca