RIO DE JANEIRO — Canada found itself in rough waters on Day 10 at the Rio Olympics with two of the country’s leading medal contenders seeing their hopes for a podium finish washed out.
Ontario paddlers Adam van Koeverden and Mark Oldershaw both failed to make the finals in their respective races after disappointing finishes in the semifinals.
Four-time Olympic medallist Van Koeverden of Oakville, Ont., advanced from the heats of the men’s 1,000-metre race on a sweltering Monday morning at Lagoa Stadium, but couldn’t recover from a tough start in the semifinals, winding up sixth and out of contention for a medal.
"Am I satisfied with my race? No. Am I satisfied with my performance? No," he said. "I’m satisfied with my preparation and I’m so grateful for another opportunity to race for Canada."
A sometimes brash athlete who is not afraid to speak his mind, van Koeverden was in a reflective mood as talked about why coming back meant so much.
"Because it was on my terms. I made a decision to kayak," said van Koeverden. "I’ve never really made a conscious decision to race. It’s always been my obligation, my thing, my lot in life, my opportunity, my job.
"And this year it was just my choice."
While he will race in Tuesday’s B final, this was essentially his Olympic swan song, the closing act of a career that included a gold and a bronze in 2004 before back-to-back silver medals in 2008 and 2012.
It was also a disappointing day for another Canadian Olympic medallist on the polluted water at Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, a stunning venue in the heart of this bustling and chaotic city that’s accented by the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue towering overhead.
Mark Oldershaw, who won bronze in 2012 in the men’s 1,000-metre canoe race, also qualified for the semis, but like van Koeverden failed to make the A final after a fourth-place finish.
"You want to be in a final," said the 33-year-old from Burlington, Ont. "That’s why you come to regattas, to be in that race. That was a good race, but the semifinal is not where you want to come up short. The whole year you think about the final."
Oldershaw, a third generation Olympian who uncharacteristically faded over the final 100 metres, said it was a deeper field than he faced four years ago.
"It just made it that much tougher to crack the final," he said. "I still feel like if I lined up in the final I’d have a shot at a medal. I think that’s how deep the field is. I just wish I could be part of it."
Meanwhile, Oakville’s KC Fraser and Genevieve Orton of Lake Echo, N.S., didn’t make the final in the 500-metre women’s double kayak event after finishing fifth in their semi. And in the women’s 200-metre kayak semis, Quebec City’s Andreanne Langlois will also have to settle for the B side after a fifth-place finish.
Stephanie Horner from Beaconsfield, Que., who trains in Victoria, finished 23rd in the first Olympic swimming event held in the city’s polluted water.
Veteran swimmer Richard Weinberger of Surrey, B.C., will represent Canada in the men’s race Tuesday.
The men’s volleyball team made up for some of the disappointment on the water by qualifying for the quarter-finals with a surprising 3-1 win over previously unbeaten Italy.
Tyler Sanders hit the winning ace as Canada beat the fifth-ranked team in the world by set scores of 25-23, 25-17, 16-25 and 25-21.
The win was Canada’s first over Italy in 16 matches.
Elsewhere in the water, Jacqueline Simoneau of Saint-Laurent, Que., and Karine Thomas of Gatineau, Que. qualified for the synchronized swimming duet final. The duo placed seventh in qualifying with a score of 179.3583, putting them 15.1661 points behind the first-place Russian team. China qualified in second place and Japan placed third.
Phillipe Gagne of Ville de Mont Royal, Que., is on to the semifinal in men’s three-metre springboard diving, finishing in 12th place with a score of 400.75.
In track and field, Crystal Emmanuel of East York, Ont., qualified for Tuesday’s semifinals in the women’s 200 metres with a personal best time of 22.8 seconds.
Later on Monday, Toronto’s Shawn Barber was looking to add an Olympic medal to his world title as he competes in the pole vault final.
