RACICE, CZECH REPUBLIC (September 16, 2017) – Canadian athletes were competing today in the second day of the International Olympic Hopes Regatta. Almost all of the crews qualified for the finals, among which 6 crews won a place on the podium.

“We’ve had a lot of positive feedback today from the athletes,” said Graham Barton, chief technical officer of the Canadian team. “Everyone was excited to race and were getting into the competition spirit. After they made it through the heats, they learned to push it to the limit and continue to keep it up. We had success from our semis and had 16 crews in the finals,” added Barton.

Among the medalists was Julia Lilley Osende (Mic Mac, Nova Scotia) who won the gold medal in the women’s C1 500m 2001 age category, a few hundredths of a second ahead of the Hungarian Csenge Molnar. “She did not believe it when her coach, Jan Kruk, told her she had won the race, she was really excited,” said Graham Barton.

In the women’s canoe category, Marlee MacIntosh (Maskwa, Nova Scotia) placed second in the C1 500m 2000 age category and Sloan Mackenzie (Cheema, Nova Scotia) came third in the C1 500m 2002 age category. In the C2 event, Jessica Mackay (Maskwa, Nova Scotia) and Lilley Osende won a silver medal in the 2001 age category.

Andrew Billard (Maskwa, Nova Scotia) picked up the 3rd place in the Men’s C1 500m 2002 age category and the Men’s C4 crew of Nicholas Billard, Dawson Peachey (Maskwa, Nova Scotia), Tyler Laidlaw (Sack-a-wa, Nova Scotia) and Mason Koch (Cheema, NS) had an exciting race coming third in the 500m.

To get all the results of Day 1 and 2 of this regatta, go to the event website. Competitions will end on Sunday with the K1, C1, K2, C2, K4 and C4 event over the famous distance of 200 meters. You can find the schedule of the last day here.

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