Ottawa, ON (May 14, 2021) – Canada qualified two boats for the 2020 Paralympic Games today at the ICF Paracanoe World Cup in Szeged, Hungary. Brianna Hennessy (Ottawa, ON) finished 4th overall in the VL2 200m event today and Mathieu St-Pierre (Shawinigan, QC) placed 5th in the men’s VL2 event, both securing their spots for Tokyo. Brianna will compete again tomorrow in the women’s KL1 A final tomorrow. Check out Brianna’s post-race interview here.
“For me, the best part of it is to be able to inspire others that have had a catastrophic accident or that have disabilities, that you don’t have to stop believing in yourself or your dreams,” said Hennessy in a post-race interview with ICF.
“In her first international race, Brianna had a great performance today,” said CKC’s Paracanoe National Team Head Coach Marc Creamer. “The first half of her race really highlighted her athleticism. Unfortunately, she did have some equipment issues that caused her to settle for 4th place. Ever the athlete, Brianna was already focused on how to improve for Tokyo.”
“Mathieu also had an outstanding performance today with a great start off the line, and held on to secure his spot in Tokyo. It’s been a tough few months for him and it was great to see him put out this excellent performance today.”
Mike Trauner (Pembroke, ON) paddled to a 4th place finish in the B final in the men’s VL3 event while Erica Scarff (Balmy Beach, ON) secured the win in the KL3 B final.
Andrea Nelson KL2 (Balmy Beach, ON) and Brianna Hennessy KL1 (Ottawa, ON) will both compete in their A finals tomorrow.
Canada has now qualified a total of three paracanoe boats for Tokyo with Andrea Nelson securing a spot in the Women’s KL2 200m event at the CKC Olympic and Paralympic trials in Burnaby, BC.
Paracanoe made its debut at the Paralympics in 2016. The paracanoe programme has been expanded from six races to nine in Tokyo, with two Vaá categories added. There were 60 athletes competing in Rio, and 90 will get the opportunity to paddle for gold in Japan.
Paracanoe World Cup team roster:
| Andrea Nelson | KL2 Women’s 200m | Balmy Beach, ON |
| Erica Scarff | KL3 Women’s 200m | Balmy Beach, ON |
| Gabriel Ferron-Bouius | KL3 Men’s 200m | Ottawa, ON |
| Brianna Hennessy | VL2/KL1 Women’s 200m | Ottawa, ON |
| Mathieu St-Pierre | VL2 Men’s 200m | Shawinigan, QC |
| Mike Trauner | VL3 Men’s 200m | Pembroke, ON |
We encourage families, friends and fans to show your support and send some love for our athletes on social media, tagging @canoekayakcan.
To learn more about the status of Tokyo qualifications for Canadian paracanoe paddlers, click here.
What:
ICF Canoe Sprint and ParaCanoe World Cup
When:
May 13-15, 2021
Where:
Szeged, Hungary – Map
How to Follow:
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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