A familiar name earned Canada its first medal yesterday at the 2009 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships at the Bell Aliant Racing Centre on Lake Banook in Dartmouth.
Three-time Olympic medallist Adam van Koeverden of Oakville, Ont., led most of the way to claim a bronze medal in the men’s kayak K-1 1,000 metres, in 3:31.285. Germany’s Richard Hoff took gold in 3:29.425, followed by van Koeverden’s training partner Anders Gustafson of Sweden in 3:30.976.
Christine Gauthier of Pointe-Claire, Que., gave the host country its second medal by mining gold in the women’s K-1 200-metre Paddleability final in 1:08.594. This was the first year at worlds for the program for disabled athletes.
And in an exhibition women’s canoe final, a prelude to the 2010 worlds in Poland where it will become a medal event, Jenna Marks of Dartmouth won the C-1 200 in 56.195. And Nicole Haywood of Nanaimo, B.C., won the C-1 500 in 2:20.762.
Van Koeverden, recovering from a broken ankle two months ago today that curtailed his training, was battling butterflies.
“Racing here - we used to live up there,” he said pointing to an area above Lake Banook. “My brother was born when we were living in Dartmouth, I don’t know, 20 years ago, and it’s as home as it gets for me.
“I was stressed out this morning, I didn’t sleep well last night and I knew that I wanted some retribution from last year’s 1,000 at the Olympics (where he finished eighth), and I knew that I wanted to prove to myself that I could be back up on that podium, and I knew that I was at a bit of a disadvantage.”
Mark Oldershaw of Burlington, Ont., missed the podium by split-seconds, finishing fourth in the men’s canoe C-1 1,000 in 4:00.514. Menkov Vadim of Uzbekistan was first in 3:55.947, Mathieu Goubel of France second in 3:56.047 and Sebastian Brendel of Germany third in 4:00.215.
“The last 300 metres, I heard the crowd and felt the adrenaline, and just decided to go for it,” said Oldershaw, a 2008 Olympian.
Oldershaw gets another shot at a medal today, in the C-1 500 final.
Van Koeverden, meanwhile, will go for the podium again, in the K-1 500.
The four-day event wraps up today.
