Canadian paddlers conclude Ruhr International Regatta with five medals - June 20th, 2010

BOCHUM, Germany – Andréane Langlois of Lac-Beauport, Que., stepped on the podium three times on Sunday to highlight a five-medal performance for Canadian paddlers at the Ruhr International Regatta canoe and kayak competition.

Jason McCoombs notched the other two medals with silver in the C-1 (canoe singles) 500-metre and bronze in the C-1 200.

Langlois earned her three silver medals in the K-2 (kayak doubles) 500-metre with Liz Girgulis of Calgary, the K-2 200 with Michelle Russell of Fall River, N.S., and the K-4 500 with Russell, Girgulis and Alexa Irvin of Halifax.

‘’Andréane and I had a really good race with a strong finish,’’ said Girgulis.  ‘’And that was because we kept a relaxed feeling throughout the race by nailing our start them maintaining a solid stroke through the middle.’’

Russell then paired with Langlois for another medal.

‘’It was our fourth time ever together in K-2 so it went very well,’’ said Russell.  ‘’The key to success in the 200 is to have great start and stay strong.  We definitely have the rhythm and chemistry to go fast.’’

McCoombs capped a great weekend with his second and third podium trips.  On Saturday, he took bronze in the C-1 1,000.

‘’The 500 was a really good race for me but a bit unusual,’’ said McCoombs, less than a second from the winner in both races.  ‘’I went out more relaxed and tried to hold back in the first 250 metres so I could have a better finish.  Usually I just go all out.  The 200 was O.K., but certainly not my best.’’

Other Canadian finalists: Irvin and Girgulis were fifth and eighth in the K-1 500, Etienne Beauchesne of Trois-Rivieres, Que., seventh in the K-1 200, Irvin and Girgulis fifth in the K-2 200 and Adam Tenwolde of Dartmouth and Beauchesne fifth in the men’s K-2 200.

Tenwolde won the K-1 500 B final for 10^th overall.

The competition also concluded a three-week overseas trip for the Canadian junior paddlers which combined training and competition.

‘’It was a fantastic experience,’’ said McCoombs.  ‘’It was nice to be here for a long time then feel fully adjusted to the time change this weekend for the races.’’

The Canadians began their trip in Trakai, Lithuania to scout and train on the site of the 2011 world junior championships.  After five days there, they moved on to Szolnok, Hungary for four days where they competed at the Hungarian national junior team trials.  Then it was on to Essen, Germany on June 7 where they trained until arriving Thursday in Bochum.

‘’This kind of trip is really helpful,’’ said Russell.  You see how paddlers from other countries go about their races and how they train.’’

More information: www.canoekayak.ca

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