PLOVDIV, BULGARIA (July 27, 2018) – Canadian Junior and U23 athletes Sophia Jensen and Katie Vincent stole the show in Plovdiv on Friday by both winning a gold medal in the Junior and U23 Women’s C1 500m events.
It only took one paddle stroke for the 16-year-old athlete from Chelsea, Quebec, Sophia Jensen, to take the lead in the Junior C1 500m big final. Some 2 minutes and 19 seconds later, Jensen was crossing the finish line first, three seconds ahead of Russia and Hungary.
Under-23 athlete, Katie Vincent, of Mississauga, Ont., repeated the feat in her category’s event by crossing the finish line with a time of 2 minutes 9 seconds, a few tenths of a second ahead of Belarus and Russia.
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“Sometimes, our woman’s canoe team make seems what they do look easy. But we know and see daily how much hard work and focus that lies behind their success,” said Canoe Kayak Canada’s head coach Anders Gustafsson. “These races are extremely hard to win and I’m immensely proud of the girls and their achievements today”.
Watch Sophia’s gold medal race here:
Watch Katie’s gold medal race here:
Five other Canadian athletes took part in the finals of Friday. Nova Scotian canoeist, Craig Spence, showed a great performance in a strong U23 C1 1000m final coming 5th with a time of 4 min 14 seconds.
The Junior crew of Alix Plomteux (Lac Beauport, Qc) and Philipe Turcanu (Ottawa, Ont.) had a great race leading the way in the C2 1000m and placed 6th after a hard and solid finish with a time of 3 min 56,6 seconds, just three seconds behind Russia’s gold medalists.
Ontario athlete, Maren Bradley, placed second in the Junior Women’s K1 1000m B final, while Cameron Low, also from Ontario, finished 6th in the Men’s B final.
Action start again on Saturday in Plovdiv, and continue through until Sunday. More information can be found on the ICF website and you can watch the action live on Planet Canoe.
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.
Watch the Men’s C2 final here:
Watch Craig’s final here:
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 :
Joannie Verret
Communications Coordinator
jverret@canoekayak.ca
(418) 271-3785