DARTMOUTH, NS – Junior and Under 23 athletes paddled hard to the line on the second day of Canadian Sprint CanoeKayak Team Trials on Lake Banook in Dartmouth, NS. The trials are being used as the main selection assessment for Canada’s team at the Junior and U23 World Championships taking place in Szeged, Hungary from July 17 to 20.
Olivia Denman (photo: Bernard Irvin)
Olivia Denman of Dartmouth, NS went three for three in her races this weekend. In Junior Women’s K1 500 she pulled through with a convincing victory, finishing with a lead of over five seconds. Ottawa’s August Sibthorpe finished second and Jessica Hogg of Dartmouth took third.
Denman teamed with Ariane Cyr of Lac-Beauport, QC to win the Junior Women’s K2 500. Denman also won the Junior K1 200 yesterday.
“It was definitely a good weekend and I plan to carry on training the rest of the year the way I have been. It’s definitely a big step and I think the mental side is really important to keep myself in check and be mentally tough out there. It’s good to be heading toward Hungary to gain some international experience.”
Second place in the Junior Women’s K2 500 went to Leah Jessop and Morgan MacIntosh of of Halifax. Ottawa’s Kate Braddon and Rowan Hardy-Kavanagh finished third.
Alexa Irvin & Andréanne Langlois (photo: Bernard Irvin)
Alexa Irvin of Kentville, NS and Andréanne Langlois of Trois-Rivières, QC won the U23 Women’s K2 500. Ailish McNulty of Dartmouth, NS and Sarah Végas-Dubois of Pointe-Claire, QC came in second. Jessica Leduc of Trois-Rivières, QC and Lucy MacLeod of Dartmouth, NS placed third.
“K2 has been our focus since we got to Florida training camp in February today every stroke from the very first stroke felt powerful,” said Irvin who also noted she was inspired by many of her younger paddlers at her club who are racing their first set of trials this weekend. “It’s really inspiring to see how focused they are and how determined they are to get through to A finals and B finals and it’s really reminded me why I stuck with paddling from that age.”
Andréanne Langlois of Trois-Rivières, QC also claimed a hat-trick for the weekend with another victory in the U23 Women’s K1 500. Sammy Hall of Dartmouth, NS was second and Alexa Irvin of Kentville, NS finished third.
Maxim Poulin of Lac-Beauport, QC won the U23 Men’s C1 200. Thomas Hall of Dartmouth, NS was second and Marc Tarling of Pointe-Claire, QC was third.
Maxime Poulin (photo: Bernard Irvin)
In U23 Men’s C2 1000, Marc Tarling and Thomas Hall took the top spot. Ottawa’s Drew Hodges and Dartmouth’s Mark James finished second. Evan Bezemer of Mississauga, ON and Jeremy Stott of Oakville, ON pulled in for third.
In U23 Men’s K1 200 Alexandre Gagnon of Trois-Rivières, QC took the win in a down-to-the-wire finish. Alexander Scott of Halifax finished a second and Pierre-Luc Poulin of Lac-Beauport, QC was third.
“The lead switched a lot. We pushed hard to the end and it worked out well for me,” Gagnon commented.
The Dartmouth crew of Jack Leahy and Ian McCormick kicked off the day by winning the Junior Men’s C2 1000. Noah Connolly and James Smith, also of Dartmouth, placed second while the Mississauga crew of Sean Barich and Noah Djurfeldt were third.
U23 Men’s K1 200 start (photo: Bernard Irvin)
Brian Malfesi of Maple Ridge, BC and Dartmouth’s Adam Tenwolde won the Under 23 Men’s K2 1000. The Saskatoon crew of Jarret Kenke and Mykel Kowaluk finished second. Brothers Hunter and Kingston Morrissey of Waverley, NS were third.
In Junior Women’s C2 500 Katie Vincent of Mississauga, ON and Juliette Brault of Pointe-Claire, QC placed first. The Manitoba crew of Hannah Guttormson and Nadyan Crossman-Serb were second while Dartmouth’s Jacqueline Dunn and Jessica MacDonald pulled through for third.
David Provost of Lachine, QC won the Junior Men’s C1 200. He was followed by Clément Bouchard of Lac-Beauport, QC in second and Dartmouth’s Ian McCormick in third.
Winnipeg’s James Lavallee pulled off the victory in Junior Men’s K1 200. Maxence Beauchesne of Trois-Rivières, QC followed with a close second and Zane Clarke of Selkirk, MB took third.
Jarret Kenke of Saskatoon, SK was victorious in the U23 Men’s K1 500. Pierre-Luc Poulin of Lac-Beauport, QC was second and Marshall Hughes of Waverley, NS was third.
Eric Fast and Alex Brent of Burnaby, BC won the final race of the day – Junior Men’s K2 1000. Maxence Beauchesne and Mathieu Roy of Trois-Rivières, QC were second while Ryan Dobbin and Mark Marschalko of Waverley, NS finished third.
“The win was one hundred percent unexpected,” said Fast. “We had some ups and downs this weekend and the last race we just clicked. We’re thrilled to finish off the trials like this.’
CanoeKayak Canada will soon announce its nominations to training camps taking place this week in Nova Scotia to determine crews and final selections to the Junior and Under 23 team. The team will represent Canada in Szeged, Hungary from July 17 to 20. Nominations for Youth Olympic Games will also be announced.
Photos by Bernard Irvin
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.
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Media Contact:
Ian Miller
Communications and Marketing Officer, CanoeKayak Canada
613.314.1352