WINDSOR JUNCTION: A canoer from Windsor Junction and kayaker from Fall River have been named to the Santiago 2023 Pan Am Games team for Team Canada.
Canoe/kayak sprint will take place November 1-4 (Days 12 to 15) at the Laguna Grande de San Pedro de la Paz in Concepción.
Sloan MacKenzie of Windsor Junction is among the three athletes named in women’s canoe, alongside nine-time world champion Katie Vincent and Sophia Jensen.
Michelle Russell of Fall River was named to the six-person women’s kayak team. Riley Melanson is also on that list.
ADVERTISEMENT:
The Team Canada canoe/kayak sprint team for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games is:
Athletes:
Women’s Canoe
Sophia Jensen (Chelsea, Que.)
Sloan MacKenzie (Windsor Junction, N.S.)
Katie Vincent (Mississauga, Ont.)
Women’s KayakToshka Besharah (Ottawa, Ont.)
Natalie Davison (Manotick, Ont.)
Riley Melanson (Dartmouth, N.S.)
Michelle Russell (Fall River, N.S.)
Maddy Schmidt (Ottawa, Ont.)
Courtney Stott (Pickering, Ont.)
Men’s CanoeConnor Fitzpatrick (Dartmouth, N.S.)
Alix Plomteux (Lac-Beauport, Que.)
Craig Spence (Dartmouth, N.S.)
Men’s KayakIan Gaudet (Dartmouth, N.S.)
Laurent Lavigne (Trois-Rivières, Que.)
Cameron Low (Toronto, Ont.)
Nick Matveev (North York, Ont.)
Simon McTavish (Oakville Ont.)
Pierre-Luc Poulin (Lac-Beauport, Que.)
ADVERTISEMENT:
The 18 athletes qualified for Team Canada based on their performances at the 2023 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships and the CKC Pan Am trials held in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia earlier this month.
Following a very successful world championship in late August, nine-time world champion Katie Vincent is looking forward to a new experience.
“This is my first Pan Am Games team. I’m really excited to have this opportunity, to be part of the atmosphere around Team Canada, and compete against some of the best in our sport,” said Vincent.
“This is also an important stepping stone for our team on our road to Paris 2024, and to have this experience in a multi-sport environment will be invaluable next summer at the Olympics.”
ADVERTISEMENT:
Vincent is no stranger to success on the international stage, winning bronze at her first Olympic Games at Tokyo 2020 with partner Laurence Vincent Lapointe.
She most recently won three gold medals and a bronze at the 2023 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Duisburg, Germany.
The bronze came in the women’s C-2 500m with partner Sloan MacKenzie, securing an Olympic spot for Canada in that event for Paris 2024.
“I can’t wait to share this experience with my teammates and other Team Canada athletes. Multi-sport Games have a unique ability to unite athletes from all sports around the world, so I’m really grateful to be part of this team,” Vincent added.
ADVERTISEMENT:
The team packs a significant amount of experience heading to Santiago, collecting seven medals as well as 12 Olympic quota spots across five events at the 2023 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships last month in Duisburg, Germany.
“We are heading to Santiago with a strong team looking to cap off a successful 2023 season with top performances against a formidable Americas field”, said Ian Mortimer, CKC Chief Technical Officer.
“Climbing onto the podium at the Pan American Games will be a big accomplishment in itself, while coupling that goal with the opportunity to use these events as a jumping off point into the 2024 Olympic season, we will be dialed in and ready for a strong competition in Chile.”
The latest Team Canada Santiago 2023 roster can be found here.