Mark Oldershaw nails down world team spot at Canadian canoe and kayak trials - July 18th, 2010

MONTREAL – Mark Oldershaw of Burlington, Ont., won the highly-anticipated showdown in the men’s C-1 (canoe singles) 1,000 metres on Sunday as he defeated Olympic bronze medallist Thomas Hall by a boat length at the national team trials in canoe and kayak.

The competition will determine the bulk of the Canadian team for the world canoe and kayak championships August 18-22 in Poznan, Poland.

Oldershaw earned the victory in four minutes and 04.376 seconds, Hall, of Pointe-Claire, Que., followed in 4:06.826 and Benjamin Russell of Dartmouth, N.S., was third in 4:10.807.  With the victory, Oldershaw grabs the spot in the event for the Canadian team at the worlds.

“I went for it from the start,” said Oldershaw.  “They key for me is that I trusted myself that I could keep paddling hard until the end. It was particularly challenging with the side-wind.  Still I was able to just keep pulling ahead.”

Hall and Oldershaw have been waging paddling wars for over 10 years and it has culminated with one of the best national rivalries in the sport.  In 2008, Hall was the C-1 1,000 Olympic trials champ and it produced a bronze medal for Canada at the Beijing Games.  A year later, Oldershaw wrestled the world team spot back and earned a fourth place in Halifax.

“I didn’t make that many changes from last season,” said Oldershaw.  “I put a bit more into the training and lightened my stroke a little bit so I can have that endurance in the 1,000.  I hope the stuff I’ve been working on can get me on the podium in Poland.”

Another showdown for a world spot was in the men’s K-4 1,000 and the team of Rhys Hill of Ottawa, Christopher Mehak of Toronto, Brady Reardon of Burlington and Connor Taras of Waverley, N.S., were the victors by three-quarters of a boat-length.

“It was a do or die situation and we knew we had to win,” said Hill.  “We’ve only been together since May and it’s a big challenge to find that right chemistry.  We have to recognize each person’s strength and build off of them.  But we all have a lot of experience and it has made things come together easier.”

In the women’s K-1 (kayak singles) 500, Emilie Fournel of Montreal was the winner in 1:54.561 with Kristin Gauthier of Ottawa second in 1:56.216 and Kathleen Fraser of Mississauga, Ont., third in 1:56.873.

“This was a valuable victory for me,” said Fournel, already qualified for the worlds in the women’s K-4 500.  “I tried to some new tactics and they worked so it gives me more experience and options for future races.  The key for me was being able to hold my technique until the end.”

Philippe Duchesneau of Sherbrooke, Que., took the men’s K-1 1,000 while Jillian D’Alessio of Middle Sackville, N.S., and Fraser took the women’s K-2 500.

The world team is expected to be announced by CanoeKayak Canada on Monday.

Full results at: http://www.canoekayak.ca/files/50/98/Satuday_Results__COMPLETE.pdf

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