Broadcast note: ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup 1 will be broadcast on Sportsnet ONE on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. EST and Sunday at 8 p.m. EST. See broadcast schedule for details. Sportsnet is the official Broadcast partner of CanoeKayak Canada.
MILAN, ITALY – A contingent of Canadian sprint paddlers started their international competition for 2014 by advancing through heats and semi-finals at the first ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup in Milan, Italy. Seven athletes are competing at World Cup 1 and the full 27-athlete Canadian team join for World Cups 2 and 3 in the second half of May.
Olympic bronze medalist, Mark Oldershaw of Burlington, ON placed second in his C1 1000 heat to advance directly to the tomorrow’s final. Oldershaw also posted the second fastest overall time.
In C2 1000, Ben Russell of Dartmouth, NS and Gabriel Beauchesne-Sevigny of Trois-Rivières, QC won their semi-final to put themselves through to tomorrow’s final. Russell and Beauchesne-Sevigny won a World Cup gold medal last season and also placed fourth at the 2013 World Championships.
Adam van Koeverden of Oakville, ON finished second in his K1 1000 semi-final to advance to the final. The four-time Olympic medalist is back to racing K1 1000 internationally after some recovery time to focus on K2 last season.
Émilie Fournel of Lachine, QC placed third in her K1 500 semi-final and qualified for the B-final tomorrow.
In addition to tomorrow’s finals, Hugues Fournel of Lachine, QC and Étienne Morneau of Québec City will line up for the heat and semi-final of K2 200 in pursuit of qualifying for Sunday’s final.
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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Media Contact:
Ian Miller
Communications and Marketing Officer, CanoeKayak Canada
613.314.1352