IBARRA, ECUADOR (Oct. 15, 2017) – It has been a successful weekend for the Canadian team at the Pan American Championships as the team brings home a total of 12 gold, 5 silver, and 9 bronze medals.

“All of the athletes arrived well prepared and delivered solid performances all weekend,” said Li-Yue Grenier, coach of the women’s kayak team for this competition. “They got more and more motivated with every day of the competition and got very excited for the last day of the sprints, where they showed what they were capable of,” she added.

500 meters
On Saturday, athletes competed in the 500 meter events. Once again, Sophia Jensen (Cascades, QC) dominated the C1 women’s race, as did Ashley Card (Maskwa, NS) in the women’s K1.

The women’s K4 of Ashley Card, Grace Whebby (Mic Mac, NS), Corinna Higgins (Pointe-Clair, QC) and Adrianna Lilley Osende (Mic Mac, NS) came second, as did Kate Pennyfather (Burloak, ON) and Marlee MacIntosh (Maskwa, NS) in the women’s C2 race. Also in the women’s category, Whebby and Higgins’ K2 crew earned a bronze medal. Palmer Lumb (Balmy Beach, ON) also brought home a bronze medal in the men’s K1 race.

200 meters
On Sunday, the athletes took part in their last races, the fast-paced 200 meter distance. Canadians dominated the sprints as Jensen and Whebby won the women’s C1 and K1 respectively, and Isaac Finkelstein (Rideau, ON) and Lumb won the same men’s events.

Paracanoe athletes also competed in the 200m events on Sunday. In the men’s event, Zach Fitzgerald (Sherbrooke, QC) finished 3rd in the KL3 event and Trinity Tratch (Calgary, AB) picked up the third position in the VL2 event. In the momen’s event, Erica Scarff (Balmy Beach, ON) won the gold medal in the VL3 race and silver in the KL3 race.

A complete list of our athletes’ results can be found on the Canoe Kayak Canada website: http://canoekayak.wpengine.com/event/sprint-pan-american-championships/

About Canoe Kayak Canada

Canoe Kayak Canada 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 :
Joannie Verret
Communications Coordinator
jverret@canoekayak.ca 
(418) 271-3785