OTTAWA, ONTARIO (June 27, 2019) – Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) and the Canadian Olympic Committee are pleased to announce the athletes and coaches selected to compete in slalom and sprint events at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.

Four athletes qualified for Team Canada in slalom through a combination of races at the National Team Trials in Oklahoma City, which took place April 12 to 14, and the Pan American Championships, which were held April 26 to 28 in Três Coroas, Brazil.

“I am thrilled that we will have four up-and-coming athletes competing at this year’s Pan American Games,” said James Cartwright, Senior Manager of High Performance and Coach Development at CKC. “Our newly appointed Next Gen coach, Michal Staniszewski, will be leading this group and supporting our team throughout this high-pressure event. I hope this event will help our athletes to develop experience competing at a multi-sport Games and to build resilience while performing in a new and challenging environment.”

The canoe/kayak slalom and extreme slalom events will take place August 2 to 4, 200km south of Lima on the Rio Cañete in Lunahuaná. Canoe/kayak slalom made its first appearance at the TORONTO 2015 Pan American Games. Extreme slalom, an exciting new competition format in which four athletes race head-to-head through an obstacle course, will make its Pan American Games debut in Lima.

“I’m excited to be a part of a greater national team atmosphere and represent Canada at the Pan Am Games for the first time,” said slalom paddler Lois Betteridge. “We have been training hard and look forward to competing on the international stage this summer!”

Fourteen athletes will compete for the Canadian sprint team in Lima from July 27 to 30 at Albufera Medio Mundo – Huacho. Sprint athletes have been selected for the team based on the results at the National Team Trials held in Dartmouth, N.S.

Rio 2016 Olympian Andréanne Langlois (Trois-Rivières, Que.) will join the sprint paddling team, which has all eyes set on the podium for Lima.

“We are sending a very strong team to the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima,” said CKC Chief Technical Officer, Graham Barton. “We have a blend of experienced athletes who have competed at world championships and Olympic Games, as well as athletes who are competing internationally for the first time. I think our chances of bringing home a medal in every event are very good.”

Canoe/kayak sprint is one of Canada’s top-performing summer sports, with 24 Olympic medals won since 1936. The Canadian sprint team won 10 medals at the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games.

“After winning the K-1 200m at the National Team Trials, I’m proud to be nominated to the team and represent Canada at the upcoming Pan American Games,” said sprint paddler Dominik Crête. “This event is a great way to gain experience on the international stage and learn from other international athletes who compete in multi-sport events such as the Pan Am Games and the Olympic Games. To ensure I show up at my best for this event, I will be training with some of the best paddlers and coaches in the country.”

The sprint athletes and coaches nominated are:

Men’s Kayak

Marshall Hughes (Waverly, N.S.)

Dominik Crête (Trois-Rivières, Que.)

Jarrett Kenke (Saskatoon, Sask.)

Eric Ellery (Toronto, Ont.)

Jacob Steele (Halifax, N.S.)

Women’s Kayak

Andréanne Langlois (Trois-Rivières, Que.)

Alanna Bray-Lougheed (Oakville, Ont.)

Alexa Irvin (Kentville, N.S.)

Anna Negulic (Bedford, N.S.)

Men’s Canoe

Drew Hodges (Ottawa, Ont.)

Craig Spence (Dartmouth, N.S.)

Women’s Canoe

Anna Roy-Cyr (Lac Beauport, Que.)

Anne Sophie Lavoie-Parent (Trois-Rivières, Que.)

Rowan Hardy-Kavanagh (Ottawa, Ont.)

Coaches

Ryan Blair (Toronto, Ont.)

Lynwen Birch (Halifax N.S.)

Jon Pike (Dartmouth, N.S.)

The slalom athletes and coaches nominated are:

Men’s Kayak and Extreme Slalom

Keenan Simpson (Ottawa, Ont.)

Women’s Kayak and Extreme Slalom

Olivia Norman (Ottawa, Ont.)

Men’s Canoe and Extreme Slalom

Liam Smedley (Dunrobin, Ont.)

Women’s Canoe and Extreme Slalom

Lois Betteridge (Ottawa, Ont.)

Coach (Canoe Slalom)

Michal Staniszewski (Gatineau, Que.)

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MEDIA CONTACTS:

Colleen Coderre, Communications Lead
Canoe Kayak Canada
C: 613.530.6217
E: ccoderre@canoekayak.ca

Josh Su, Specialist, Public Relations
Canadian Olympic Committee
C: 647-464-4060
E: jsu@olympic.ca