GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA, USA (May 7, 2016) – Two-time World Champion and Olympic bronze medalist Mark de Jonge has qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Today he won the Men’s K1 200m final at Canadian Sprint National Team Trials on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia, USA.
“Everything is going to plan and especially early in the season it’s encouraging to have a good race and know that everything is starting off well,” said de Jonge. “I’ve got a few races ahead to tune and tweak things and I’ve got big goals for Rio.”
de Jonge won today’s race by 0.84 of a second. Alex Scott (Bedford, NS) was second and Étienne Morneau (Québec, QC) was third. With de Jonge’s status as the current World Champion, he only needed the one win to seal the deal while most selections races are a best two out of three format.
Since earning an Olympic bronze medal in 2012, de Jonge progressed to a silver at Worlds in 2013, followed by two straight gold medals at the 2014 and 2015 World Championships. He will compete at three World Cups in Europe on consecutive weekends beginning May 21.
In the Women’s K2 500m, Michelle Russell (Fall River, NS) and Madeline Schmidt (Ottawa, ON) paired up to take the first win. A second final will take place tomorrow morning at 9:30 EST with a potential race-off in the afternoon if the winning crew is different.
Russell qualified the quota spot for Canada in the Women’s K1 500m last year at World Championships but she was beat out for the K1 Olympic entry by Émilie Fournel this week. Russell is not eligible to compete at the Continental Qualifier because she has already on the books as having qualified a quota. If she and Schmidt win tomorrow, another crew will need to qualify to K2 quotas at Continental Qualifiers. The K2 Olympic entry would then come down to a race-off at National Team Trials 2 in Montreal from June 24-26. Schmidt is a 2013 Junior World medalist.
Additional races were held in the Men’s K1 1000m and Men’s C1 1000m to assess Sport Canada carding and additional selection opportunities. Angus Mortimer (Ottawa, ON) won the Men’s K1 1000m and Ben Russell (Dartmouth, NS) won the Men’s C1 1000m. In addition to the Olympic qualification process, the trials are also being used to select teams for World Cups, Under 23 European Tour, Pan American Championships (U23), and first assessments for U23 World Championships. For many of these events, multiple athletes can be nominated based on the achievement of various performance standards.
Tomorrow is the end of the five-day trials. Two events are on the schedule including the Women’s K2 500m selection for Continental Qualifiers along with the Men’s K1 500m for carding and selection assessment.
Summary of Results
| Event | Result |
| Men’s K1 200m – final 1/1 | 1) Mark de Jonge (Halifax, NS)
2) Alex Scott (Bedford, NS) 3) Étienne Morneau (Québec, QC) |
| Women’s K2 500m – final 1/2 | 1) Michelle Russell (Fall River, NS), Madeline Schmidt (Ottawa, ON)
2) Émilie Fournel (Montréal, QC), Andréanne Langlois (Québec, QC) 3) Kathleen (KC) Fraser (Oakville, ON), Genevieve Orton (Lake Echo, NS) |
| Men’s K1 1000m – carding and selection considerations | 1) Angus Mortimer (Ottawa, ON)
2) Jarret Kenke (Saskatoon, SK) 3) Brian Malfesi (Maple Ridge, BC) |
| Men’s C1 1000m – carding and selection considerations | 1) Ben Russell (Dartmouth, NS)
2) Gabriel Beauchesne-Sévigny (Trois-Rivières, QC) 3) Craig Spence (Dartmouth, NS) |
Follow the trials
About Canoe Kayak Canada
Canoe Kayak Canada is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada. Canoe Kayak Canada has been one of Canada’s top performing summer sports having won an impressive count of 24 Olympic medals. Canoe Kayak Canada is a member-based organization which 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 Miller
Communications and Marketing Officer, Canoe Kayak Canada
613.314.1352
imiller@canoekayak.ca