OTTAWA, ONTARIO (July 3, 2017) – The Canada Day weekend featured an outstanding canoe kayak competition as elite paddlers converged on the nation’s capital for the Sprint Canada Cup 1 Regatta, a two-day event hosted by the Rideau Canoe Club. The competition brought together top crews from the United States, Mexico, Australia and the United States, alongside junior and senior club teams from across Ontario and Quebec.
Among the many highlights was a remarkable performance by 14-year-old Evie McDonald (Carleton Place, ON) of Team Ontario, who dominated both the U16 and U18 Women’s Canoe divisions, winning six gold medals in the six races she entered.
At the senior level, spectators were treated to an epic battle between Canada and Mexico in the Men’s Canoe competition. In the C-1 1000m final, former World Champion Jose Everado Cristobal Quirino of Mexico pushed past both Craig Spence (Dartmouth, NS) and Olympic and World Championship medalist, Mark Oldershaw (Burlington, ON).
But, Team Canada roared back to sweep the podium in the Men’s C-2 1000m with the crew of Drew Hodges (Ottawa, ON) and Craig Spence (Dartmouth, NS) taking gold, Mark Oldershaw and Roland Varga (Richmond Hill, ON) winning silver, and Connor Fitzpatrick (Dartmouth, NS) and Tom Hall (Waverly, NS) completing the Canadian sweep.
In Men’s Kayak, the K-4 500m – added as a new event to the program for the 2020 Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo – lived up to the pre-race hype, with the Mexican crew edging out Australia and a tenacious Team Ontario.
In the U16 Women’s K-4 500m final, the hometown crowd had something special to cheer for, as crews from the host Rideau Canoe Club took both the gold and the silver.
Complete event results can be found here.
The Canada Cup continues next weekend with Canada Cup #2 in Shawinigan, QC.
More info here: http://canoekayak.wpengine.com/event/sprint-canada-cup-2/
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:
Ian Mortimer
Director of Development
(O) 613.260.1818 ext 2201
(M) 613.323.2264