Name: Mark Oldershaw
Born: Feb. 7, 1983 in Burlington, Ont.
Sport: Sprint canoe: C-1 1,000 m
What’s his story?
Growing up in Burlington, Ont., Mark Oldershaw had big athletic shoes to fill. His father, Scott Oldershaw, represented Canada at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and before that, his grandfather Bert donned the maple leaf for three Games: London in 1948, Helsinki in 1952 and Melbourne in 1956. That’s not to mention Oldershaw’s uncles Dean and Reed, who are both Olympians, too. This distinguished athletic heritage meant that meeting the family standard was a tall order—but Oldershaw has more than lived up to his pedigree.
Now 32, Oldershaw, who began racing competitively as a nine-year-old, burst onto the international scene in 2001 with gold-medal finishes at the World Junior Championships in the C-1 (canoe single) 1,000-metre and the C-1,500-metre races. He made his Olympic debut in 2008, finishing 10th in the C-1,500 metre in Beijing.
Oldershaw made headlines in 2012 when he won bronze at the London Games in the C-1 1,000-m race—making him the first Oldershaw to earn an Olympic medal. Since then, the third-generation canoeist, who trains out of the Burloak Canoe Club in Oakville, Ont., and is coached by his father (who also coaches Canadian sprint kayaker Adam van Koeverden), has been on the search for a world title to go with his Olympic hardware. So far, he’s won bronze medals at the world championships in 2013 in the C-1 5,000 metre and the 4xC-1,200-metre relay. In 2014, he finished sixth in the C-1 1,000 at the worlds, and he’ll be looking to improve on that placement at the Pan Am Games—the first Pan Ams of his career—this summer in Toronto.
But these games aren’t just about competition for the veteran canoeist. Oldershaw was chosen to carry the flag for Canada during the opening ceremonies at Toronto’s Rogers Centre and has called the duty a “real honour.”
Biggest rival
Brazilian canoeist Isaquias Queiroz Dos Santos bested Oldershaw in the C-1 1,000 metres at the 2013 world championships, nabbing bronze while Oldershaw finished ninth. At last year’s worlds, Queiroz Dos Santos did not finish the race. Look for the 21-year-old to threaten for a medal in Toronto.
Here’s an interesting fact
Twelve years ago, Oldershaw had a scare when a tumour was discovered in his left hand. He underwent two surgeries to remove it and spent two years dealing with the after-effects of those procedures.
Prediction
Oldershaw is the favourite for gold in the C-1 1,000 metres. Expect to see him at the top of the podium.
