Ottawa, ON (May 5, 2021) – Canada adds two more Olympic sprint paddlers to the start line in Tokyo with Connor Fitzpatrick (Senobe Aquatic Club, NS) and Roland Varga (Richmond Hill Canoe Club, ON) earning their spots in the Men’s C2 1000m event to be held on the Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo, Japan this summer at the 2020 Olympic Games.
Connor and Roland secured two race wins in the C2 1000m finals at the Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) Olympic trials in Burnaby, BC in April and Connor won the C1 1000m finals. These results complete the CKC requirements for both athletes to be nominated to the Canadian Olympic Committee for inclusion on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Team.
“I am extremely pleased for Connor and Roland and look forward to seeing what they can do in Tokyo,” said Chief Technical Officer, Graham Barton. “The last time they raced they accomplished personal bests, just missing the final at the 2019 World Championships. Their results at CKC Olympic Team Trials indicate they have not missed a beat in their preparation despite the Covid restrictions we all have had to endure. We are in the final stretch of completing our team and this announcement adds to what I believe will be a extremely strong group of athletes representing Canada at the Tokyo Olympic Games”
The remaining boats for CKC still have to complete additional internal selection procedures or Global Olympic qualification throughout the rest of May. CKC will be sending a team of Para Canoe athletes to the ICF Paralympic Qualification in Szeged, Hungary and a small team to the ICF Global Olympic Qualifier in Barnaul, Russia later this month.
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 COC’s Team Selection Committee following its receipt of nominations by all National Sport Organizations.
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.