Sport Shorts: Golden Paddlers
World Champion at Last: Canadian kayaker Adam van Koeverden (Oakville, Ont.) is finally a World Champion in his favourite event. Van Koeverden captured the gold medal in the men’s K1 1,000-metres Friday at the ICF Canoe/Kayak Sprint World Championships in Szeged, Hungary. Clocking in at 36.194 seconds, the 29-year-old’s victory – which was more than three seconds faster than Anders Gustafsson of Sweden – secured a spot for Canada in the event at the Olympic Games in London. Following van Koeverden’s win, Canada’s gold rush continued with canoeists Laurence Vincent-Lapointe (Trois-Rivieres, Que.) winning two golds of her own in the women’s C1 200-metre singles, and the C2 500-metres, where she was paired with Mallorie Nicholson (Oakville, Ont.).
Cycling Three-Peat: Mountain biker Catharine Pendrel has finished the World Cup season on a high note. The Kamloops, B.C. native won her second consecutive race and third overall, this time in Val di Sole, Italy, ending the season in second place in the standings. Pendrel, who completed the course in 1:25:07, will now gear up for the World Championships, taking place in Champéry, Switzerland beginning next week.
First and 10: The Canadian Triathlon Championships featured a couple of significant milestones over the weekend. Two-time Olympic medallist Simon Whitfield (Victoria, B.C.) became a National Champion for the 10th time, while young gun Sarah-Anne Brault (Winnipeg, Man.) claimed her first National title. The 21-year-old finished the race in 2:04:41, ahead of Edmonton’s Paula Findlay, who for much of the season was the number one-ranked triathlete in the world. For complete results click here.
Spiking up the Ladder: Canada is off to compete in one of volleyball’s biggest events. Following their straight-sets victory over Puerto Rico on Sunday, the Canadian men’s team qualified for the World League, a 16-country tournament that offers the largest cash prizes in the sport. The accomplishment is considered a strong step in Canada’s attempt to qualify for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Worlds around the World: A number of World Championships are set to take place over the next month. The World Squash Championship is currently underway, with another 11 scheduled on the calendar by mid-September. The list includes athletics, shooting, rowing, roller sports, racquetball, mountain biking, women’s bowling, modern pentathlon, canoe-kayak slalom, triathlon and wrestling.
