Canoe Kayak Canada – BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA (July 18, 2017) – Canada’s top young slalom paddlers are gearing up for the biggest competition of the season at the ICF Canoe Slalom Junior and U23 World Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia. Thirteen Canadian athletes are racing this week on a challenging 23-gate race course.
 
“This is an exciting opportunity for our emerging athletes to compete against the best in the world, and a critical step in the athlete development pathway,” said James Cartwright, Canoe Kayak Canada’s High Performance Manager. “We’ve pulled together a team of three provincial coaches and the National Team Head Coach to support our athletes throughout the three-week European training camp and competition.”
 
Canada’s next generation of canoe slalom athletes from Ontario, Alberta, Quebec and Saskatchewan will take advantage of a rare opportunity to compete on a world-class artificial course against top international racers. 
 
Team Canada hopes to see several athletes advancing to the semi-final competitions as a stepping stone to eventual success at the Senior World Championships, the Olympics and Paralympics.
 
Day 1 Summary
 
Ottawa’s Ben Risk and St-Louis-de-Gonzague’s Yannick Laviolette placed 45^th and 46^th respectively (add the event). Ottawa’s Liam Smedley finished 54^th after being awarded a 50-second penalty on the last gate.
 
Canadian athletes will be racing from July 18th to July 20th. The full results from the competition are available here.

Summary of Canadians Competition Schedule
 

Athlete	Event	Competition Date
Lois Betteridge (Ottawa, ON)	C1W U23	July 19
Yannick Laviolette (St-Louis-de-Gonzague, QC)	C1M U23	July 18
Liam Smedley (Dunrobin, ON)	C1M U23	July 18
Benjamin Risk (Ottawa, ON)	C1M U23	July 18
Lois Betteridge (Ottawa, ON)	K1W U23	July 20
Kylie Zirk (Saskatoon, SK)	K1W U23	July 20
Hannah Penner (Salaberry-De-Valleyfield, QC)	K1W U23	July 20
Andrew Musgrave (Ottawa, ON)	K1M U23	July 19
Trevor Boyd (Calgary, AB)	K1M U23	July 19
Darius Ramrattan (Innisfail, AB)	K1M U23	July 19
Sheamus O’Connell (Ottawa, ON)	K1M Junior	July 19
Keenan Simpson (Ottawa, ON)	K1M Junior	July 19
Mael Rivard (Ottawa, ON)	K1M Junior	July 19
Jocelyn Taylor (Calgary, AB)	K1W Junior	July 20

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. Follow Canoe Kayak Canada on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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For more information:
James Cartwright
High Performance Manager
613.715 0727
jcartwright@canoekayak.ca