Broadcast note: ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup 3 will be broadcast on local Sportsnet stations on Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. EST. See broadcast schedule for details. Sportsnet is the official Broadcast partner of CanoeKayak Canada.
SZEGED, HUNGARY – The Canadian sprint CanoeKayak team started into their third and final ICF World Cup today in Szeged, Hungary. Three boats advanced in Olympic distances on the opening day of competition.
Mark Oldershaw of Burlington, ON won his semi-final and posted the fastest time in the Men’s C1 1000 as well as the C1 500. Oldershaw will be in the hunt for another medal in the final tomorrow. The Olympic bronze medalist has already won bronze and silver in the 1000 metre event this month at World Cups 1 and 2 along with a silver in the C1 500.
Ben Russell of Dartmouth, NS and Gabriel Beauchesne-Sevigny of Trois-Rivières, QC took the top spot in their semi-final to put themselves through to tomorrow’s final. Russell and Beauchesne-Sevigny will try to repeat a trip to the podium tomorrow after winning bronze in the C2 1000 last week.
Émilie Fournel made it through to the final in the Women’s K1 500 with a second place result in her semi. Fournel ranked eleventh in the event at World Cup 1 and raced K2 events last week where she had two seventh place results.
Adam van Koeverden of Oakville, ON came through to win his semi-final and advance in the Men’s K1 500 after narrowly missing a spot in the A-final in the K1 1000. van Koeverden is a four-time Olympic medalist and won silver in the K1 1000 in 2012.
In other events, Halifax’s Andrew Jessop and Brady Reardon of Burlington, ON advanced to the final of the Men’s K2 500 with a second place result in the semi. Una Lounder of Dartmouth, NS was also second in the semi and advanced to the final of the Women’s K1 1000. Gabriel Beauchesne-Sevigny of Trois-Rivières, QC and Roland Varga of Richmond Hill, ON won their heat in the Men’s C2 500 and advanced directly to the final.
Competition continues with finals Saturday and Sunday. The team will then return to Canada to prepare for a final set of National Team Trials at the end of June and World Championships in August.
Summary of Results
| Athlete(s) | Event | Rank |
| Mark Oldershaw (Burlington, ON) | Men’s C1 1000_____________
Men’s C1 500 |
1st in semi (4:08.22)Advanced to A-final
1st in semi (1:53.33) Advanced to A-final |
| Ben Russell (Dartmouth, NS) & Gabriel Beauchesne-Sevigny (Trois-Rivières, QC) | Men’s C2 1000 | 1st in semi (3:44.08)Advanced to A-final |
| Émilie Fournel (Lachine, QC) | Women’s K1 500 | 2nd in semi (1:57.99)Advanced to A-final |
| Adam van Koeverden (Oakville, ON) | Men’s K1 1000_____________
Men’s K1 500
|
3rd in semi (3:42.50)Advanced to B-final
1st in semi (1:42.14) Advanced to A-final |
| Michelle Russell (Waverley, NS) | Women’s K1 500 | 4th in semi (1:58.35)Advanced to B-final |
| KC Fraser (Toronto, ON) & Hannah Vaughan (Dartmouth, NS) | Women’s K2 500 | 6th in semi (1:51.08)Advanced to B-final |
| Una Lounder (Dartmouth, NS) | Women’s K1 1000 | 2nd in semi (4:14.99)Advanced to A-final |
| Brady Reardon (Burlington, ON), Phillipe Duchesneau (Sherbrooke, QC), Andrew Jessop (Halifax, NS) & Rob Clarke (Mississauga, ON) | Men’s K4 1000 | 4th in semi (3:03.22)Advanced to B-final |
| Andrew Jessop (Halifax, NS) & Brady Reardon (Burlington, ON) | Men’s K2 500 | 2nd in semi (1:31.31)Advanced to A-final |
| Rob Clarke (Mississauga, ON)& Phillipe Duchesneau (Sherbrooke, QC) | Men’s K2 500 | 5th in semi (1:35.44)Advanced to B-final |
| Gabriel Beauchesne-Sevigny (Trois-Rivières, QC) & Roland Varga (Richmond Hill, ON) | Men’s C2 500 | 1st in semi (1:43.45)Advanced to A-final |
| Ben Russell (Dartmouth, NS) & Paul Bryant (Richmond Hill, ON) | Men’s C2 500 | 9th in semi (1:50.10) |
Photos – link for Saturday/Sunday (credit: Balint Vekassy)
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