TOKYO, JAPAN (September 11, 2019) – Canada’s top sprint and paracanoe paddlers are set to compete this week in the ‘Ready, Steady, Test Event in Tokyo, Japan from September 12-15. Nine Canadian elite athletes will test out the Sea Forest Waterway venue, home of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic competition.
Over 45 nations will participate in the four-day test event at a newly designed facility in the Tokyo Bay Zone.
Three-time World Champion Katie Vincent (Mississauga, ON) will be competing for Team Canada in the C1 200m event following her 5th place finish and Olympic berth for Canada at the ICF World Championships in Szeged, Hungary.
Also competing for Canada is Mark Oldershaw (Burloak, ON), 3-time Olympian, and London 2012 bronze medallist in C1 1000m.
Simon McTavish (Mississauga, ON) will compete in the K1 200m and K1 1000m this week, recently securing an Olympic berth for Canada at the ICF World Championships in the K4 500m.
Roland Varga (Richmond Hill, ON) and Connor Fitzpatrick (Senobe, NS) will compete in C2 1000m event, setting a new Canadian record of 3:28.74 last month at the ICF World Championships.
Courtney Stott (Balmy Beach, ON) and Lisa Bissonnette (Pointe-Claire, QC) will contest the K2 500m event, earning an Olympic berth for Canada in the K4 500m in Szeged, Hungary. Madeline Schmitt (Ottawa, ON) will compete in the K1 500m event.
Mathieu St-Pierre (Shawinigan, QC) will compete as the sole Canadian Paracanoe athlete in the VL2M 200m starting on Saturday.
“This competition, while not your typical performance event, is absolutely critical for all teams in familiarizing themselves with the venue and the city of Tokyo,” said CKC Chief Technical Director, Graham Barton. “It has been an amazing experience this week and the organizing committee has done a tremendous job in preparing the venue and informing us of what to expect in 2020.”
The Canadian entries are listed below.
| Event | Crew |
| C1W 200m | Katie Vincent |
| C1M 1000m | Mark Oldershaw |
| C2M 1000m | Roland Varga |
| Connor Fitzpatrick | |
| K1W 500m | Madeline Schmidt |
| K2W 500m | Courtney Stott |
| Lisa Bissonnette | |
| K1M 200m | Simon McTavish |
| K1M 1000m | Simon McTavish |
| VL2M 200m | Mathieu St-Pierre |
What:
2019 Canoe Sprint Olympic/Paralympic Test Event
When:
Thursday September 12 (9:00am to 2:20pm local time) (GMT+9)
Friday September 13 (9:00am to 1:30pm pm local time)
Saturday September 14 (9:00am to 1:50pm local time)
Sunday September 15 (9:00am to 1:40pm local time)
Where:
Sea Forest Waterway
Tokyo, Japan – MAP
How to follow:
Visit the event website here.
Visit Canoe Kayak Canada’s website to get more information and make sure to follow @PlanetCanoe and @CanoeKayakCAN for more live updates.
Subscribe to Canoe Kayak Canada’s mailing list to get all news and results directly to your email.
About Canoe Kayak Canada
Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) 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:
Colleen Coderre
Communications Lead