FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

OTTAWA, ON (May 24, 2024) – Canada’s top slalom paddlers, have been named to the Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) World Cup, U23 and Junior World Championship teams this season. Fourteen athletes secured their spot throughout the selection process finalized during the National Team Selection Trials in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec held from May 10 to 12, 2024. 

“I’m excited to welcome our paddlers back to our program this summer to race internationally as we work towards Paris 2024 and the Junior and U23 World Championships,” said James Cartwright, Senior High-Performance Manager. “It’s inspiring to see the level of racing these athletes continue to demonstrate and we are all looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish together this summer.” 

Daniel Parry is a familiar face on the ICF Slalom World Cup and Junior World Championship scene placing 15th in men’s canoe in 2023 and 21st in 2022.  

“I’m very happy to be selected into this year’s junior national team and I am looking forward to representing Canada this summer during the Junior World Championships in Liptovsky Mikuláš. I have done a lot of training in preparation for Worlds this year, and I am excited to see what results I can achieve in both K1 and C1.” 

Olympic paddler Florence Maheu will represent Canada proudly once again, looking forward to competing in the Prague Kayak Cross qualifier.  

“I am quite excited to compete in kayak cross in Prague. Kayak Cross has progressed a lot in the past couple years, and it has brought a new kind of energy to the sport. I am thrilled to have this chance and I will do my best to try to earn a spot on the podium.” 

The Slalom World Cup season starts off next weekend in Augsburg, Germany and continues through June with competition in Prague, Czechia and Krakow, Poland. July will be an exciting time for slalom paddlers as the beginning of the month starts off with the U23 and Junior World Championships from July 1-7 in Liptovsky Mikulas, Slovakia.  

Slalom athletes, Lois Betteridge and Alex Baldoni, were recently nominated to the Paris 2024 Canadian Olympic Team, and will be competing at the Paris Summer Olympic Games from July 27 – August 5 at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium. 

World Cup Team 

Women’s K1
Lois Betteridge – ON
Florence Maheu – QC
Léa Baldoni – ON
Alternate for World Cup 3: Béatrice Olson – ON 

Women’s C1
Lois Betteridge, – ON
Léa Baldoni – ON 

Women’s Extreme 

Lois Betteridge – ON 
Florence Maheu – QC
Léa Baldoni – ON
Béatrice Olson – ON (Replacement for Lois Betteridge in World Cup 2) 

 Men’s K1 

Alex Baldoni – ON 
Maël Rivard – ON
Trevor Boyd – AB 

Men’s C1 

Alex Baldoni – ON
Daniel Parry – ON
Isaac Zimmerman – ON 

Men’s Extreme 

Alex Baldoni – ON
Trevor Boyd – AB
Isaac Zimmerman – ON
Michal Smiesko – BC (Replacement for Alex Baldoni in World Cup 2)
Alternate: Maël Rivard – ON 

U23 World Championship Team 

Women’s K1 

Léa Baldoni – ON
Béatrice Olson – ON 

Women’s C1 

Léa Baldoni – ON 

Women’s Extreme 

Léa Baldoni – ON
Béatrice Olson – ON 

Men’s K1 

Alex Baldoni – ON
Maël Rivard – ON
Mark Zielonka – ON 

Men’s C1 

Alex Baldoni – ON  

Men’s Extreme 

Alex Baldoni – ON
Maël Rivard – ON
Mark Zielonka – ON

Junior World Championship Team 

Men’s K1 

Isaac Zimmerman – ON
Daniel Parry – ON Lachlan Faraday – ON 

Men’s C1 

Isaac Zimmerman – ON
Daniel Parry – ON
Owen McKay – ON 

Men’s Extreme 

Isaac Zimmerman – ON
Lachlan Faraday – ON
Michal Smiesko – BC
Callum Bender – QC 

You can find the list of events at Canoe Kayak Canada. 

About Canoe Kayak Canada 

Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada, one of Canada’s top performing summer sports with a total of 26 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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MEDIA CONTACTS:
 

Colleen Coderre
Communications Lead
C: 613-530-6217
E: ccoderre@canoekayak.ca 

Emmalee Nother
Communications Coordinator
C: 905-912-1322
E: enother@canoekayak.ca