GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Canada’s Adam van Koeverden qualified for his fourth Olympic Games on Friday after winning the men’s K1 1,000 metre race at the Pan American Canoe Sprint Championships and Continental Olympic Qualifier.
The Oakville, Ont., native has previously won four medals at the Olympics.
"The route to get to this point, to get qualified, has been longer than it’s ever been for me," van Koeverden said. "It was a hard and stressful morning. I did what I had to do and there are a lot of improvements that have to happen in the next few months for me to be satisfied with a good Olympic performance."
Mark Oldershaw, of Burlington, Ont., captured the men’s C1 1,000 on Lake Lanier to qualify another quota spot for Canada in Rio.
Oldershaw is still looking to qualify for the Summer Games. Canada can only send one athlete to compete in the men’s C1 competition. Ottawa’s Ben Tardioli is due to race in the men’s C1 200 on Saturday morning and if he wins the continental qualifier, the decision of which event to prioritize will be based on World Cup performances.
In women’s competition, Genevieve Orton of Lake Echo, N.S., and Kathleen Fraser of Oakville, Ont., won the women’s K2 500 to earn the Canadians two more athlete quota spots in the event at the Olympics. The crew to fill those spots will be determined at National Team Trials 2 in Montreal from June 24-26.
Lissa Bissonnette of Sherbrooke, Que., took gold in the senior women’s K1 500 event. Canada had already qualified an Olympic quota spot in that event at last year’s world championships.
