Ready, Set, Tokyo Canadian Slalom Paddlers kick off 2020 season with Olympic Selection
PENRITH, AUSTRALIA (January 13, 2020) – Florence Maheu (Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC) clinches the second Olympic spot for Team Canada in the women’s K1 event this weekend at the Australian Canoe Slalom Championships.
Florence finished 8th in the finals, booking her ticket to Tokyo for her first-ever Olympic Games.
Team Canada had previously qualified the women’s K1 boat for Tokyo 2020 at the 2019 World Slalom Championships in La Seu D’Urgell, Spain.
“I am extremely excited for the new challenge,” said Maheu. “It has been a long road to get there and there is still a lot of work to do before the Games. This is a dream come true for me and I couldn’t be happier to have the chance to compete amongst the best paddlers at the Olympics.”
Michael Tayler (Ottawa, ON) finished as top Canadian in the men’s K1 event in 6th place overall. Ben Hayward (Edmonton, AB) placed 9th in the final. Final selection for the men’s K1 slalom spot will be decided February 20-23 at the Sydney International Whitewater Festival.
“I’m thrilled to see that we now have two athletes booked to the Tokyo Games,” said CKC Senior High Performance Manager, James Cartwright. “Our paddlers have worked hard to accomplish their goals and I know they will continue to strive for excellence with less than 192 days remaining. I think the competition process for the Olympic Team in the remaining events will challenge our paddlers to perform on demand and this will surely help them to reach their potential in international competition next summer.”
Team Canada secured three Olympic spots in the women’s K1, men’s C1, and K1 event at the 2019 Slalom World Championships. Cameron Smedley (Dunrobin, ON) booked his ticket to Tokyo with an 8th place finish in the men’s C1 event.
The next Tokyo qualification opportunity to compete for the women’s C1 Tokyo entry will be at the 2020 Pan-Am Championships scheduled in Rio de Janeiro from April 3-5, 2020.
What:
2020 Australian Canoe Slalom Championships
Where:
Penrith, Australia
Visit the event website and results
here.
The Canadian entries are listed below.
| Event | Crew |
| K1 Men | Ben Hayward |
| K1 Men | Michael Tayler |
| K1 Men | Trevor Boyd |
| K1 Women | Florence Maheu |
| C1 Women | Haley Daniels |
To view Canada’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic Team Criteria, click 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.
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