RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (March 14, 2024) – Canadian slalom paddlers win the 2024 Olympic qualifier at COPAC Canoe Slalom Pan American Championships, securing an Olympic quota spot for Canada in both women’s and men’s canoe (C1 events).
Lois Betteridge (Ottawa, ON) was the first Canadian down the course, dominating her races in both semifinals and finals, winning the event to cement a women’s C1 quota spot for Canada in Paris.
“I am over the moon excited,” said Betteridge. “I was aiming for Tokyo 2020 and didn’t make it there so being the one to secure this spot for Canada means everything.”
Alex Baldoni (Pau, France) also topped the leaderboard in the C1 event finals, locking up another quota for Canada on the men’s side.
“I’m very relieved and now the pressure is off for the rest of this event,” said Baldoni. “There were good options on the course and it worked out well for me today. Now I can focus on the work I need to do over the next couple of months.”
CKC’s High Performance Senior Manager, James Cartwright is looking forward to building upon the success in Brazil. “It was a great day for Team Canada! We have now secured both men’s and women’s canoe quotas here in Rio and we can celebrate this achievement with appreciation for all the hard work the athletes and coaching team have put forth over the last year.”
Athlete selections and nominations to Team Canada are still forthcoming for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Team Canada will compete in canoe-kayak slalom competition in Paris from July 27-August 5 at the new whitewater stadium in Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.
For full results click here.
About Canoe Kayak Canada
Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada, one of Canada’s top performing summer sports with a total of 26 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:
Colleen Coderre
Communications Lead
ccoderre@canoekayak.ca
Emmalee Nother
Communications Coordinator
enother@canoekayak.ca