GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA, USA (April 21, 2018) – Laurence Vincent-Lapointe (Trois-Rivières, QC) and Katie Vincent (Mississauga, ON) stole the show on day 2 of the Canadian sprint canoe kayak team trials as they broke their 2017 world record in the Women’s C-2 500 meters event this morning at the Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, GA.
“It’s a second world record broken this week-end by our women’s canoe team and we could not be happier with such great results so early in the season,” said Anders Gustafsson, new head coach of Canoe Kayak Canada’s sprint team. “Our teams’ overall results so far show that we have been preparing the team well and they have what it takes to compete on the world stage.”
After breaking the record in the C-1 race yesterday, Laurence Vincent Lapointe and her partner Katie Vincent beat their last world record by 4 seconds with a time of 1:52.745 this morning.
The Men’s Canoe also showed great performances on Saturday. Craig Spence (Cheema, N.-S.) finished first with an impressive time of 3:49.899 in the Men’s C-1 1000 meter event. Roland Varga (Richmond Hill, ON) came second in a time of 3:54.793 followed closely by Drew Hodges (Rideau, ON) who finished in a time of 3:55.125.
“I felt pretty comfortable going into this race, every stroke felt better and better throughout the race and the conditions were ideal today,” explained Craig Spence, as he watched his teammates prepare for the Men’s C-2 1000 meter event. “I feel really optimistic for the upcoming season, our group is one great team and working with our new coach, Andreas, has been really productive.”
In the Men’s C-2 1000 meter, Varga and Connor Fitzpatrick (Senobe, N.-S.) took first place in a time of 3:36.912. Hodges and Mark James (Senobe, N.-S.) placed second, followed by Thomas Hall (Cheema, N.-S.) and Bret Himmelman (Maskwa, N.-S.) with a time of 3:38.902 and 3:39.878, respectively.
The Women’s Kayak also performed well in the K-1 500 meter event. Michelle Russell (Cheema, N.-S.) placed first with a time of 1:49.947, followed by Andreanne Langlois of Trois-Rivières in Québec (1:51.533), and Madeline Schmidt of Ottawa in Ontario (1:53.011).
The Men’s Kayak finished today’s races with the K-1 1000 meter event. Pierre-Luc Poulin (Lac-Beauort, QC) finished first in a time of 3:30.466, in front of Jarret Kenke (Saskatoon, SK – 3:31.69) and Marshall Hughues (Cheema, N.-S. – 3:31.866).
Atlanta 1996 Gold Medalist Coaching the Canadian Team
The last time Andreas Dittmer, German Olympian and 3 times Olympic gold medalist, was at Lake Lanier in Gainesville, GA, was during the 1996 Olympic Games of Atlanta. Dittmer raced in the C-2 1000 m event with German partner Gunar Kirchbach. They won gold in front of the Romanians and Hungarians in a time of 3:31.870. Andreas joined the Canoe Kayak Canada coaching team this winter and the National Team Trials are his first event with the team.
“Coming back here after all these years definitely brought back a lot of good memories,” said Dittmer, new head coach of the Canadian Men’s Canoe Sprint team. “I couldn’t be happier to be here, coaching the Canadian men’s canoe team, at the exact same location than where my Olympic career began,” he added.
Canadian athletes will be closing these Team Trials on Sunday, selecting the World Cups team representing Canada in Europe at the end of May. Kayak athletes will be racing in the 200 meter finals while Canoe athletes will be racing in the 500 meter finals.
You can watch all finals on the Canoe Kayak Canada YouTube channel and find today’s results on the Canoe Kayak Canada website, as well as the starts lists for Sunday’s races.
About Canoe Kayak Canada
Canoe Kayak Canada 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
(418) 271-3785