Good start for Canadian paddling stars at Canadian Sprint Nationals - August 25th, 2010

REGINA – Double world champion Laurence Vincent-Lapointe of Trois-Rivieres, Que., Adam Van Koeverden of Oakville, Ont., and Mark Oldershaw of Oakville, Ont., each won their opening heats on Wednesday to open the Canadian Sprint Nationals canoe and kayak competition.

More than 900 athletes representing 39 clubs across the country are gathered at the Wascana Racing Canoe Club, with races set to run until Sunday. Races are not only held at the senior level but for the juniors, juvenile and midget age classes.

Most of Canada’s 33-member team that competed last week at the world championships in Poland is here.  The Canadian squad collected seven medals at the event which ended Sunday with four gold, a silver and two bronze.

Their participation made for some deep fields in several events.  In the first heat of the C-1 (canoe singles) 1,000 Oldershaw finished ahead of world team teammates Gabriel Beachesne-Sevigny of Trois-Rivieres, Que., in second and Benjamin Russell of Dartmouth, N.S., in third.

In the second heat, world team members grabbed the top-three spots: Olympic bronze medallists Thomas Hall of Pointe-Claire, Que., Richard Dalton of Halifax and Andrew Russell of Dartmouth.  Dalton won bronze in Poland in the C-1 200.

In the first men’s K-1 1,000 heat, the top-four just arrived from Poland.  Van Koeverden was first, Steve Jorens of Candiac, Que., second, Richard Dober Jr., of Trois-Rivieres, Que., third and Christopher Mehak of Toronto fourth.  Van Koeverden took bronze in the K-1 500 on Saturday.

The battle for the senior women titles is also tight. In the K-1 500, Una Lounder of Dartmouth, Kia Byers of Regina and Emilie Fournel of Montreal were 1-2-3 in the first heat.  Genevieve Orton of Lake Echo, N.S., took the second.   Byers and Orton were 1-2 in the opening heat of the women’s K-1 200.

Vincent-Lapointe, 18, who took the gold in the C-1 (canoe singles) 200 and C-2 500 with Mallorie Nicholson of Oakville, opened her nationals with a victory in her C-1 1,000 heat and added a heat victory in the C-1 200.

Competition continues Thursday.

Full results at: http://canoekayak.ca/english/content/SPRINT_Domestic_CKC_Nationals

More news and profiles at: www.canoekayak.ca

On-site contact:

Kim Russell

CanoeKayak Canada

Cell: 613.608.8822

Other results from this year

Archives