OTTAWA, ONTARIO (July 5, 2022) – Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) is thrilled to announce the 2022 Canoe and Paracanoe Sprint Senior World Championship teams heading to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia to compete at home against the most powerful paddlers on the planet.
Following a week of exciting racing at the National Team trials at the Olympic Basin, athletes were selected based on their combined performances at National Team Trials #1 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and the second set of trials held in Montreal from June 24-27.
The Canadian Canoe and Paracanoe Sprint team World Championship team will compete at Lake Banook in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia from August 3-7 with a strong contingent of medal potential paddlers and several Tokyo 2020 Olympians returning to competition, including hometown athlete, Connor Fitzpatrick.
“I am very excited to be racing a world championship event on my home lake,” said Fitzpatrick. “It’s been a dream to race at an international level competition on this lake and I am happy I will be part of it. Racing in front of a supportive Nova Scotia paddling community is going to be exciting for the entire city!”
The event program includes races in women’s, men’s, and paracanoe categories of canoe and kayak in single, doubles and quad boat races. A total of 32 different finals will be raced in 200, 500, 1000, and 5000 meter distances.
Olympic bronze medallist and 2021 World Champion, Katie Vincent will be on the start line in Dartmouth. At World Cup 2 in Poland earlier this season, Katie secured a gold medal in the new C4 500m event, silver in the C1 200m, 5km long distance event, and the C2 mixed 500m with partner Connor Fitzpatrick. She finished just off the podium in 4th place in the women’s C2 500m with Sloan Mackenzie.
“It’s incredibly exciting to be part of the home team this year at the World Championships on Lake Banook,” said Vincent. “I hope, as a whole team, we can carry the momentum from our successful World Cup tour and create some memories that will inspire the next generation of paddlers all across Canada!”
The Canadian Paracanoe Sprint team will feature 2 returning Tokyo Paralympians, including Mathieu St-Pierre, Brianna Hennessy, as well as Erica Scarff, who competed in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio. Six Paracanoe athletes will be making their international debut in Halifax, making it the largest contingent of Canadian Paracanoe paddlers qualified for World Championships.
“I am honoured to have been selected to represent Canada at the World Champs this year,” said Paralympian, Brianna Hennessy. “Canoe’22 is very near and dear to me, as we will be racing on home turf in Halifax, Nova Scotia! I am so excited to be part of welcoming countries through the spirit of sport, from all over the world, to Mi’kma’ki, the traditional and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people!”
The highly anticipated International Canoe Federation Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships (Canoe ’22) will be a landmark international event for Halifax Regional Municipality. “Not only is this a great opportunity to celebrate sport and our world class Canadian athletes but it’s also a chance for us all to reconnect with friends and neighbours in the spirit of celebrating and showcasing our beautiful community,” said Jill D’Alessio, Chair of the host society.
“It is an honour to be part of this team as we head out on our home course in the beautiful natural arena of Lake Banook in a few short weeks,” said Ian Mortimer, CKC Chief Technical Officer. “The community in Dartmouth, and the entire country, are ready to cheer on our athletes and I know our team will be looking to inspire the next generation of young paddlers and those who might want to take up the sport. It will be a special time in Nova Scotia.”
2022 SENIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
Men’s Kayak
Laurent Lavigne – Club de Canoë-Kayak de Vitesse de Trois Rivières
Cameron Low – Balmy Beach Canoe Club
Nick Matveev – Balmy Beach Canoe Club
Brian Malfesi – Ridge Canoe & Kayak Club
Simon McTavish – Mississauga Canoe Club
Pierre-Luc Poulin – Club de Canoë-Kayak Lac-Beauport
Men’s Canoe
Édouard Beaumier – Club de Canoë-Kayak de Vitesse de Trois Rivières
Andrew Billard – Maskwa Aquatic Club
Peter Bradley – Rideau Canoe Club
Connor Fitzpatrick – Senobe Aquatic Club
Bret Himmelman – Maskwa Aquatic Club
Tyler Laidlaw – Sack-a-Wa Canoe Club
Alix Plomteux – Club de Canoë-Kayak Lac-Beauport
Matthew O’Neill – Rideau Canoe Club
Craig Spence – Cheema Aquatic Club
Women’s Kayak
Toshka Besharah-Hrebacka – Rideau Canoe Club
Natalie Davison – Rideau Canoe Club
Andréanne Langlois – Club de Canoë-Kayak de Vitesse de Trois Rivières
Riley Melanson – Cheema Aquatic Club
Michelle Russell – Cheema Aquatic Club
Madeline Schmidt – Rideau Canoe Club
Courtney Stott – Balmy Beach Canoe Club
Women’s Canoe
Jacy Grant – Cheema Aquatic Club
Sophia Jensen – Cascades
Sloan MacKenzie – Cheema Aquatic Club
Julia Lilley Osende – Mic Mac Aquatic Canoe Club
Katie Vincent – Mississauga Canoe Club
Men’s Paracanoe
Yves Bourque – Club de canotage du Shawinigan
Benjamin Brown – Maskwa Aquatic Club
Gabriel Ferron-Bouius – Rideau Canoe Club
Miguel Garcia Sanchez – Balmy Beach Canoe Club
Stefan Samolia – Balmy Beach Canoe Club
Mathieu St-Pierre – Club de canotage du Shawinigan
Dave Waters – Maskwa Canoe Club
Women’s Paracanoe
Brianna Hennessy – Ottawa River Canoe Club
Erica Scarff – Mississauga Canoe Club
For more information on Canoe ‘22, click here.
Visit Canoe Kayak Canada’s website to get more information and make sure to follow @PlanetCanoe and @CanoeKayakCAN for more live updates.
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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
ccoderre@canoekayak.ca