OTTAWA – CanoeKayak Canada is pleased to name its team to compete at the 2015 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships from August 19 to 23 in Milan, Italy. The process for assessments began with National Team Trials 1 in early May and continued through World Cups and the Pan Am Games. Depending on the event, some selections came down to assessments at training camps.
“Our team is ready and we’re going to Milan with a purpose,” said Scott Logan, CanoeKayak Canada’s High Performance Director. “We’re into the third year of this quadrennial and with Olympic and Paralympic qualification on the line, our athletes are ready to perform at their best for Team Canada.”
Olympic and Paralympic Qualification on the line at Worlds
With the opportunity for Canada to qualify quota spots for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, this year’s World Championships will be particularly significant.
Crews ranking in the top six to eight, depending on the event, will qualify the boat for their country for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. There will be an opportunity to qualify additional Olympic quota spots next May at the Pan American Canoe Sprint Championship & Continental Olympic Qualifier in Gainesville, Georgia. The exception to this is K4 quotas which can only be qualified at World Championships this year. For both Men’s and Women’s K4 events, the top ten boats with representation from four continents will qualify.
For Paralympic qualification, the top six countries with representation from three continents at the 2015 World Championships will qualify a quota spot in each of the six Paralympic events. An additional four quota spots per event will be up for grabs at the 2016 Paracanoe World Championships next May 17 to 19 in Duisburg, Germany.
More information on the International Canoe Federation’s quota qualification process can be found here. Athletes to fill the quota spots Canada earns will be selected next year.
World Championships Team
Men’s Kayak 1000
Discipline Coaches: Scott Oldershaw, Larry Cain
| Athlete | Hometown | Club |
| Adam van Koeverden | Oakville, ON | Burloak |
| Brady Reardon | Burlington, ON | Burloak |
| Andrew Jessop | Halifax, NS | Maskwa |
| Pierre-Luc Poulin | Lac Beauport, QC | Lac-Beauport |
| Philippe Duchesneau | Sherbrooke, QC | Pointe-Claire |
| Rob Clarke | Mississauga, ON | Burloak |
| Brian Malfesi | Maple Ridge, BC | Ridge |
Men’s Kayak 200
Discipline Coach: Frédéric Jobin
| Athlete | Hometown | Club |
| Mark de Jonge | Halifax, NS | Maskwa |
| Hugues Fournel | Montréal, QC | Lachine |
| Ryan Cochrane | Windsor, NS | Lac Beauport |
Women’s Kayak
Discipline Coach: Mark Granger
| Athlete | Hometown | Club |
| Michelle Russell | Fall River, NS | Cheema |
| Kathleen Carole (KC) Fraser | Oakville, ON | Balmy Beach |
| Geneviève Beauchesne-Sévigny | Trois-Rivières, QC | Lac-Beauport |
| Hannah Vaughan | Dartmouth, NS | Banook |
| Émilie Fournel | Montréal, QC | Lachine |
| Genevieve Orton | Lake Echo, NS | Orenda |
| Una Lounder | Dartmouth, NS | Senobe |
Men’s Canoe 1000
Discipline Coaches: Laszlo (Csom) Latorovszki, Scott Oldershaw, Larry Cain
| Athlete | Hometown | Club |
| Gabriel Beauchesne-Sévigny | Trois-Rivières, QC | Trois-Rivières |
| Ben Russell | Dartmouth, NS | Banook |
| Mark Oldershaw | Burlington, ON | Burloak |
Men’s Canoe 200
Discipline Coach: Rob Stott
| Athlete | Hometown | Club |
| Jason McCoombs | Dartmouth, NS | Banook |
Women’s Canoe
Discipline Coach: Rob Stott
| Athlete | Hometown | Club |
| Laurence Vincent-Lapointe | Trois-Rivières, QC | Trois-Rivières |
| Katie Vincent | Mississauga, ON | Mississauga |
| Nadya Crossman-Serb | Winnipeg, MB | Toba |
Paracanoe
Discipline Coach: Mark Granger
Contributing Coaches: Marc Creamer, Mari Ellery
| Athlete | Hometown | Club |
| Christine Gauthier | Pointe-Claire, QC | Pointe-Claire |
| Erica Scarff | Toronto, ON | Balmy Beach |
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.
-30-
Media Contact
Ian Miller
Communications and Marketing Officer, CanoeKayak Canada
613.314.1352