PITESTI, ROMANIA (August 5th, 2019) – The 2019 ICF Junior/U23 World Championships wrapped up in Pitesti, Romania on Sunday August 4th. The competition welcomed the best young athletes from around the world for four days of races. The Canadian team had an incredible competition and demonstrated the strength of the Canadian program, by winning six medals and claiming the title of second best junior nation at the event, the best ever result for Canada.
Canada’s most decorated athlete was junior canoeist Sophia Jensen, who won three gold medals. Jensen convincingly defended her World Champion titles in the junior women’s C1 500m, C1 200m, and C2 500m with 2018 World Champion partner Julia Lilley Osende. Jensen has medalled in every event she has entered at the Junior World Championships since her first crack at the international competition in 2017. She won gold in all three events raced at the 2018 edition and won two silver medals in 2017.
The Canadian women’s junior K4 500m crew of Toshka Besharah, Maren Bradley, Adriana Lilley Osende and Sarah Nagy won the bronze medal, the first time Canada has ever reached the podium in a K4 event at Junior Worlds.
Ella Hodgson Pageau and Kate Pennyfather won the first silver medal in C2 200m behind the dominant Chinese team, in an impressive fight to the finish to overtake Hungary who came third. Team Canada’s second silver medal was won by Laurent Lavigne in the K1 500m final, just 0.574 seconds behind Hungary’s Andras Redl.
“This is the best racing I have ever seen from our junior team,” said Canadian Next Gen Development Head Coach, Mark Granger. “To be second in the World is an amazing feat!”
The full list of Canadian results is below.
MEN’S CANOE
| Athlete | Event(s) | Result |
| Andrew Billard | JR C1 1000m
JR C1 200m |
B final: 1st
Semi: 9th |
WOMEN’S CANOE
| Athlete | Event(s) | Result |
| Ella Hodgson Pageau | JR C2 200m | A final: 2nd |
| Sophia Jensen | JR C1 200m
JR C1 500m JR C2 500m |
A final: 1st
A final: 1st A final: 1st |
| Julia Lilley Osende | JR C2 500m | A final: 1st |
| Kate Pennyfather | JR C2 200m | A final: 2nd |
MEN’S KAYAK
| Athlete | Event(s) | Result |
| Laurent Lavigne | JR K1 200m
JR K1 500m |
A final: 5th
A final: 2nd |
| Cameron Low | JR K1 1000m | B final: 3rd |
WOMEN’S KAYAK
| Athlete | Event(s) | Result |
| Maren Bradley | JR K4 500m
JR K2 500m |
A final: 3rd
B final: 5th |
| Toshka Besharah | JR K4 500m
JR K1 200m |
A final: 3rd
B final: 5th |
| Adriana Lilley Osende | JR K4 500m
JR K2 500m |
A final: 3rd
B final: 5th |
| Sarah Nagy | JR K4 500m
JR K1 500m |
A final: 3rd
A final: 7th |
| Grace Whebby | U23 K1 200m
U23 K1 500m |
A final: 8th
B final: 7th |
All races are available to re watch on Planet Canoe’s Youtube here.
Click here to view all results.
Visit Canoe Kayak Canada’s website to get more information and make sure to follow @PlanetCanoe and @CanoeKayakCAN for more live updates.
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About Canoe Kayak Canada
Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) 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:
Laurel MacAdam
Communications Assistant
Colleen Coderre
Communications Lead