Burnaby, BC (March 12, 2021) Canadian history was made today as the first-ever paddler in womens canoe, Katie Vincent qualified* to represent Canada, in the womens C1 event, at the Tokyo Olympic Games. The womens K-4 500m team also booked their ticket to Tokyo* today with impressive back-to-back final wins in Burnaby.
It was an exhilarating day of racing with the womens K-4 crews kicking off racing for Olympic qualification. Alanna Bray-Lougheed (Burloak Canoe Club), Andranne Langlois (Club de canoe-kayak de vitesse de Trois-Rivieres), Michelle Russell (Cheema Aquatic Club), and Madeline Schmidt (Rideau Canoe Club) won their second K-4 500m finals of the CKC Olympic and Paralympic Sprint Team Trials, securing their nomination for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
I think we had the first race jitters yesterday, got those over with, and then today we just put it all together, said Russell. This event marking the first racing opportunity for the team in almost two years due to the pandemic. Covid-19 made us learn a lot about ourselves and made us tougher as athletes and as people too, added Langlois. We have trained in every weather condition – hail, snow, giant waves, said Schmidt. It has definitely brought us closer together as a team.
Later in the morning, the Womens C1 200m final got off to a clean start with 10-time World Champion, Laurence Vincent Lapointe (Club de canoe-kayak de vitesse de Trois-Rivieres) looking to add to her race win from Thursday. Meanwhile, Katie Vincent (Mississauga Canoe Club), who secured Canadas berth at the 2019 World Championships, was just as hungry for the opportunity, stealing the second race win in a nail-biter photo finish across the line.
The C1 200m tie forced a race-off between the Katie and Laurence at 2pm PT. The Canadian duo lined up again to deliver yet another heart pounding performance with Katie taking the final win with only millimeters separating the two boats. Results
Its hard to put into words (how Im feeling) right now, said Katie Vincent. Its my birthday today and I cant imagine a better birthday present than this. It was a fight right until the end and a positive takeaway for our team that we have such a strong field of female paddlers. Four years ago, we had no group to train with and look at us now. We can take pride in the team that weve built and I look forward to getting in the boat with Laurence to race the C2 500m event tomorrow. Its fun to go fast!
We are so thrilled to see two of the best paddlers in the world racing together after such a long hiatus and a challenging period of time, said Casey Wade, CKC Chief Executive Officer. With respect to the womens C2 500m event, we continue to work closely with the International Canoe Federation to secure an additional womens canoe Olympic quota spot due to extenuating circumstances dating back to the 2019 World Championships. This will also allow us to have a second entry in the womens C1 200m Event.
Connor Fitzpatrick (Senobe Canoe Club) and Roland Varga (Richmond Hill Canoe Club) secured their second finals win in the C2 1000m to lock up their advancement for the World Cup season.
Simon McTavish (Mississauga Canoe Club) also crossed the line with another win to confirm his Olympic journey continues in the Mens K1 1000m.
Michelle Russell (Cheema Aquatic Club) celebrated another win in the K1-200m final today.
The Para Canoe finals saw Andrea Nelson (Balmy Beach Canoe Club) earn a nomination to the Canadian Paralympic Committee for inclusion on Team Canada. Additional Para athletes who won both finals but still need to meet criteria for a nomination include Erica Scarff (Mississauga Canoe Club) in the womens KL3 200m Class while Gabriel Ferron-Bouius (Rideau Canoe Club) took top spot on the mens side and Stefan Samoila won the KL2 Class. Mathieu St. Pierre VL2 and Mike Trauner VL3 rounded out the winners in the Va Classes.
Racing takes place on Burnaby Lake over the course of four days, wrapping up on Sunday March 14.
CKC would like to thank Canoe Kayak BC and Tourism Burnaby for their support of this event.
To learn more about the status of Tokyo qualifications for Canadian sprint paddlers, click here.
*Prior to being named to Team Canada, all nominations are subject to approval by the COCs Team Selection Committee following its receipt of nominations by all National Sport Organizations.
Andranne Langlois, Alanna Bray-Lougheed, Michelle Russell, Madeline Schmidt | Photo: Rich Lam/CKC
What:
CKC Olympic and Paralympic Sprint Trials
When:
March 11-14, 2021
Where:
Burnaby, BC – Map
How to Follow:
Event Website
Live Streaming
About Canoe Kayak Canada
Canoe Kayak Canada is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada, one of Canadas top performing summer sports with a total of 24 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.