Sophia Jensen

Biography

Sophia Jensen is a rising star of Canadian paddling who won bronze in the women’s C-1 200m event at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games. That followed her sixth-place finish in the event at the 2023 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, which qualified an Olympic spot for Canada for Paris 2024. In the first ICF World Cup of 2024, Jensen won silver in the C-1 200m, finishing behind only her teammate, Katie Vincent. 

Jensen had been a standout performer in her five appearances at the ICF Canoe Sprint Junior and U23 World Championships. She is a six-time junior world champion and three-time U23 world champion in various canoe events. That includes the U23 world title in the women’s C-1 200m in 2021 and the junior world titles in the women’s C-1 200m and C-2 500m in 2018 and 2019. 

Jensen competed at her first senior ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in 2021, reaching the A finals in the women’s C-2 200m and C-2 500m. She won two medals in non-Olympic events at the 2022 World Championships on home waters in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, taking silver in the women’s C-1 500m and gold in the women’s C-4 500m.   

A Little More About Sophia: 

Started training in canoe at age 12 and began competing at age 13… Had been a cross-country skier before her family moved to Chelsea, Quebec where she started her paddling career… Outside Interests: Likes to draw, ski and bike… In the off-season competes in cross-country running and skiing… Would eventually like to become a doctor… Odds and Ends: Inspired by Olympic medallists Katie Vincent and Laurent Vincent Lapointe… Collects coins from different countries… Always listens to “I’m on a Boat” by Lonely Island before her races because it hypes her up… Grew up in Elk Island National Park where her parents were both park rangers…

Notable International Results

Pan American Games: 2023 – BRONZE (C-1 200m) 

ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships: 2023 - 6th (C-1 200m); 2022 – SILVER (C-1 500m); 2021 - 8th (C2 200m), 6th (C2 500m)

ICF U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships: 2022 - BRONZE (C-1 200m), BRONZE (C-2 500m), GOLD (C-4 500m), SILVER (Mixed C-2 500m); 2021 - GOLD (C-1 200m), BRONZE (C-2 500m), SILVER (C-4 500m), GOLD (Mixed C-2 500m)

ICF Junior Canoe Sprint World Championships: 2019 - GOLD (C-1 200m), GOLD (C-1 500m), GOLD (C-2 500m); 2018 - GOLD (C-1 200m), GOLD (C-1 500m), GOLD (C-2 500m); 2017 - SILVER (C-1 500m), SILVER (C-1 200m)