Canadian canoe slalom team kicks off Final World Cup in Bratislava
Friday August, 23
Broadcast note: Slalom World Cup 5 will be televised on Sportsnet on Sunday August 25th (9:00 p.m. EST). See broadcast schedule for details.
BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA – The Canadian canoe slalom team kicked off World Cup 5, with strong racing in the qualification round. Four of seven athletes have advanced to the seminfinal. Ben Hayward, of Edmonton, Alberta lead the team in 10th position in the men’s K1 heats to safely advance to the second round of competition. Fellow teammate David Ford also qualified for the semifinals in 32nd position despite battling an ear infection. Cameron Smedley of Dunrobin, Ontario was Canada’s sole entry in the men’s C1 event and performed two fast runs and advanced to the semifinal in 13th position. Alexandra McGee, of Ottawa, Ontario placed 15th in the women’s canoe event and will also move on to the second round.
The semifinals for the men’s kayak, and male and female single canoe events will resume on Saturday August 24th. Ben Hayward will look to improve on his career best 15th place result he achieved in the first World Cup of the season held in Cardiff, Wales.
The team is using the World Cup Final in Bratislava as the last preparation race before the World Championships to be held in Prague, Czech Republic September 11th-15th.
Summary of Results (World Cup 5)
Athlete
Event
Result
Ben Hayward (Edmonton, AB)
Men’s K1
Advanced to semifinal; 10th in heats (95.03)
David Ford (Canmore, AB)
Men’s K1
Advanced to semifinal; 32nd in heats (99.11)
Michael Tayler (Ottawa, ON)
Men’s K1
51st in heats (104.90)
Alexandra McGee (Ottawa, ON)
Women’s C1
Advanced to semifinal
15th in heats (150.94)
Cameron Smedley (Dunrobin, ON)
Men’s C1
Advanced to semifinal; 13th in heats (101.77)
Jazmyne Denhollander (Yarrow, BC)
Women’s K1
45th in heats (181.12)
Thea Froehlich (Ottawa, ON)
Women’s K1
46th in heats (194.95)
Cameron Smedley and Ben Hayward
Men’s C2
24th in heats (121.27)
CanoeKayak Canada is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada. The organization’s vision is to be a Canadian sport for families, communities and champions. From supporting clubs to developing a competitive National Team, CanoeKayak Canada works to grow a sport which is a rich part of Canada’s heritage.
http://events.slalom.canoeicf.com/live-results-page
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For more information:
James Cartwright
Slalom High Performance Manager, CanoeKayak Canada
613.715.0727 | 613.260.1818 x 2205