World championship spots on the line at second canoe and kayak national team trials - July 13th, 2010

Event set for July 17-18 at Olympic Basin in Montreal

MONTREAL – The bulk of Canada’s team for the world canoe and kayak championships is expected to be determined at the second national team trials this Saturday and Sunday (July 17-18) at the Olympic Basin in Montreal on parc Jean-Drapeau.

CanoeKayak Canada sprint high performance director Graham Barton says the Canadian team could add up to almost 30 paddlers making it its largest squad ever for an overseas worlds.  The world championships are August 19-22 in Poznan, Poland.

With only one spot available for each event, there are several exciting showdowns set based on performances at the first national team trials in May (also in Montreal) and the European World Cups that followed.

In the men’s C-1 (canoe singles) 1,000-metres, Mark Oldershaw of Burlington, Ont., must finish ahead of Olympic bronze medallist Thomas Hall of Pointe-Claire, Que., to gain the one available spot outright for a second straight worlds. 

The Russell brothers from Dartmouth, N.S., will be facing off for a berth in the C-2 1,000.  Andrew Russell races with Gabriel Beauchesne-Sévigny of Trois-Rivières, Que., while Ben Russell is teamed with Richard Dalton of Halifax.  Dalton is also chasing a spot in the C-1 200.

Two established veterans, Richard Dober Jr., of Trois-Rivieres, Que., and Andrew Willows of Gananoque, Ont.,  are waging battle for the K-1 200 berth.  Dober and Willows then must team up to challenge Ryan Cochrane of Windsor, N.S., and Hughes Fournel of Lachine, Que., for the K-2 200 spot.

Two world championship spots are locked up so far.  Adam Van Koeverden of Oakville, Ont., secured the spot in the K-1 1,000 and won’t race this weekend.  The women’s K-4 500 with Genevieve Orton of Lake Echo, N.S., Émilie Fournel of Montreal, Kristin Gauthier of Ottawa and Mylanie Barré of Lac-Beauport, Que., are also booked for Poland.

The rest of the men’s and women’s spots are still up for grabs as well as berths for the ParaCanoe spots for paddlers with a disability who will have official events at the world championships.

The Canadian paddling team is coming off its strongest overall showing at the world championships last summer in Halifax.  Canada placed a best-ever third overall in the nation standings earning one gold and three bronze medals.

This weekend’s competition will also determine paddlers who are eligible for the Pan Am Championships October 8-10 in Mexico City.

Competition starts on Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 a.m. both days.

More information at: http://canoekayak.ca/english/content/SPRINT_HP_National_Team_Trials_2  and www.canoekayak.ca

 
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For more information and on-site contact:
Louis Daignault
CanoeKayak Canada
Tel: (613) 297-1455
Mail\courrier: louisdaignault@rogers.com 

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