Canadian paddlers end World Cup season with medals in Portugal
Paddlers from Canoe Kayak Canada finished off the World Cup season this weekend in Montemor-O-Velho, Portugal with two medals in Olympic events.
On Sunday, two-time world champion and London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Mark de Jonge won silver in the K1 200m, behind France’s Maxime Beaumont. Carlos Garrote of Spain was third.
The medal for de Jonge comes after Etienne Morneau and Ryan Cochrane were third in the men’s K2 200m on Saturday. German paddlers won the two-man contest, while a Polish duo came second.
Two other Olympic medallists reached the Portugal podium on Sunday for Canada in non-Olympic distances.
Mark Oldershaw won the C1 500m. At the start of the weekend Canoe Kayak Canada confirmed Oldershaw is to be nominated to the Rio 2016 squad in the C1 1000m.
Four-time Olympic medallist Adam van Koeverden was second on Sunday in the K1 500m, the event in which he stood on podiums at Athens 2004 (gold) and Beijing 2008 (silver). He will represent Canada at a fourth Olympic Games in Rio in the K1 1000m.
More medals in non-Olympic events came via Paul Bryant with a silver medal in men’s C1 5000m; and a K4 200m second place result came via de Jonge, Alex Scott, Cochrane and Morneau.
