MARKLEEBERG, GERMANY (July 2, 2017) – Haley Daniels (Calgary, AB) recorded her best-ever finish in World Cup Extreme Slalom today, finishing 6th in the women’s K1 event in Markleeberg, Germany. Teammate, Florence Maheu (Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC) finished 10th, marking the first time two Canadians have finished in the top 10 in the Extreme Slalom event.
The Extreme Slalom is a new addition to the World Cup circuit. It features a head-to-head format where four athletes race down the river at the same time while navigating through a series of obstacles. The event will make its first appearance at the World Championships this year in Pau, France at the end of September. Tereza Fiserova (Czech Republic) won today’s race, with Amelia Hilgertova (Czech Republic) and Marie-Zelia Lafont (France) placing 2nd and 3rd respectively.
“I can’t think of a better way to spend Canada’s 150th birthday weekend than qualifying for my first semi-final in the Slalom and then delivering a personal best in the Extreme Slalom,” said an elated Daniels after the race.
Cameron Smedley (Dunrobin, ON) finished 11th in the men’s Extreme Slalom with a 24th-placed finish for Finley Capstick (Chilliwack, BC). Vit Prindis (Czech Republich) took gold while Antoine Launay (Portugal) placed 2nd and Boris Neveu (France) was third.
In the traditional Canoe Slalom event, Daniels, racing in her first semi-final the season, performed well to finish 27th overall. Australia’s Jessica Fox stole the victory with a very impressive run time of 101.46 seconds ahead of Nuria Vilarrubla, of Spain and Rosalyn Lawrence of Australia. Smedley finished 23rd on the men’s side.
With the first three ICF World Cup Slalom events behind them, Team Canada will now set their sights on preparing for the National Championships on August 5th and 6th in Ottawa and the second half of the World Cup circuit with races in Italy and Spain later this year.
This weekend’s competition was webcast on CBC’s digital platforms including the CBC Sports app and cbcsports.ca. CBC Sports is the Official Broadcast Partner of Canoe Kayak Canada.
Summary of Results
| Athlete | Event | Result |
| Haley Daniels (Calgary, AB) | Extreme Slalom | 6th |
| Florence Maheu (Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC) | Extreme Slalom | 10th |
| Cameron Smedley (Dunrobin, ON) | Extreme Slalom | 11th |
| Finley Capstick (Chilliwack, BC) | Extreme Slalom | 24th |
| Cameron Smedley (Dunrobin, ON) | Men’s C1 Slalom | 23rd |
| Spencer Pomeroy (Ottawa, ON) | Men’s C1 Slalom | 44th |
| Haley Daniels (Calgary, AB) | Women’s C1 Slalom | 27th |
| Keenan Simpson (Ottawa, ON) | Men’s K1 Slalom | 64th |
| Finley Capstick (Chilliwack, BC) | Men’s K1 Slalom | 66th |
| Darius Ramrattan (Innisfail, AB) | Men’s K1 Slalom | DNF |
| Florence Maheu (Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC) | Women’s K1 Slalom | 36th |
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.
-30-
For more information:
James Cartwright
High Performance Manager
613.715 0727
jcartwright@canoekayak.ca