TOKYO, JAPAN (August 3, 2021) – Team Canada brought their own heat to the Sea Forest Waterway with two boats qualifying for A Finals today and two top ten finishes. Canada competed in WK1 200m A and B Final, and the A Final in the MC2 1000m.
Andréanne Langlois (Club de canoë-kayak de Trois-Rivières) qualified through to the A Final following a 3rd place finish (39.952) in the WK1 200m semifinals. Andréanne crossed the finish line in 9th overall (40.473) in her first-ever international A Final performance.
“It’s easy to say that I am most proud of my result but I am actually most proud of coming back and proving to myself that I am world-class kayaker,” said Langlois. “It is really good for my heart and good for me head to show that I was able to make an A Final. It’s the first time in my life and I knew I could do it and today I did it and it was the best time to show it!”
Michelle Russell (Cheema Aquatic Club) raced in the WK1 200m B final tying for 4th place with Serbia, finishing the event in 13th overall. Michelle and Andréanne will race together in the WK4 500m on Friday.
Roland Varga (Richmond Hill Canoe Club) and Connor Fitzpatrick (Senobe Aquatic Club) raced in the C2 1000m laying down a powerful performance to qualify them into the A Final. The Canadian crew battled hard to earn a 6th place finish overall and a new Canadian record with a time of 3:27.10.
“It’s bittersweet I would say. Making the A Final was our goal and we achieved that but you always want to be better,” said Varga. “We haven’t had a C2 crew at the Olympics since 2008 and I hope we brought men’s canoe back home to Canada and I think we proved that we belong today.”
Fitzpatrick and Varga will return on Friday to compete in the men’s C1 1000m event.
“We have two days off now to refocus and take care of the body,” said Fitzpatrick. “I hope to surprise a lot of people in the next race. We are coming back.”
Racing continues with the start of MK1 200m, WC1 200m, WK1 500m and MK2 1000m heats and quarterfinals.
More information on the canoe and kayak sprint events can be found on the Tokyo 2020 website here.
About Canoe Kayak Canada
Canoe Kayak Canada is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada, one of Canada’s 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.