Canoeing | Worlds that give confidence

The table was set for the Canadian K4 to do great things at the Canoe-Kayak World Championships in Halifax. The boat lived up to expectations and achieved the best result in the country’s history in the discipline.

Nicholas Richard
The Press

At the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, the Canadian team performed below expectations, finishing 10^e. Since then, Mark de Jonge has retired and 21-year-old Trifluvien Laurent Lavigne has joined the team.

A few days ago, the Canadian quartet took fifth place in the 500m event at Lake Banook, Nova Scotia. A historic performance.

“We are quite proud of that. For me personally, since 2015, K4 has been a priority in my life. So I’m extremely happy,” said Pierre-Luc Poulin, leader of the boat.

Spain, Germany and Ukraine collected the medals. Slovakia took fourth place. No surprise with this result, oddly similar to that of Tokyo.

The Canadians outdid themselves in the final to claim fifth place, considering qualifying. In the first wave, Canada took fourth place. In the semi-finals, he finished third. Nothing predestined him to mark the history of Canadian kayaking.

“I learned a lot, not only from Pierre-Luc, but from the other guys as well. After our qualification, it was not easy, it was not our best result. Seeing a guy like Pierre-Luc staying calm and not feeling any panic, we just thought about getting ready for the semi-final,” Lavigne said.

This race also proves to Lavigne that their boat can compete with the best in the world. The Worlds will have served as an indicator, but also as motivation for the future.

This combativeness greatly pleased Poulin. The 26-year-old veteran was impressed with how Lavigne handled his first real Worlds. The wind of youth brought by the kayaker undoubtedly helped the crew to perform well and to approach the races differently.

“Laurent has always impressed me with his ability to put himself in an unparalleled state of competition. It seems that no matter what happened before or around, when he puts on his Canada vest and takes his oar, Laurent becomes a monster,” Poulin said.

He added about his teammate that “Laurent arrived not being afraid of anyone, telling himself that the others were smaller, wanting to say ‘who are they?’. He has that kind of thinking, and I love that about him. It brings awareness.”

From Halifax to Paris

It is clear that performing in this way in Canada has inspired the troops. “There was something extraordinary,” said Poulin. Even if it is difficult for the two athletes to suggest that they were racing at home since the competition was still taking place more than 1,000 kilometers from their home, the atmosphere and the organization were unparalleled.

“Towards the end, I felt at home. With the people, the encouragement, it was a great atmosphere,” replied Lavigne.

The eyes of the team are now on the Paris Games in 2024. Accumulating the good performances since the Worlds of 2021 with sixth, fourth and fifth places in different competitions, there is room for the kayakers to be optimistic . Especially since the boats with which they compete today will be the same as in France.

The road will be long between now and the next Olympic Games, but for the athletes, it will happen quickly. The team is also progressing in K2, and each new day is an opportunity to improve.

For Lavigne, there is only one way to proceed: “We go all out. »

A recipe that seems to work so far and that could breathe new life into Canadian canoeing.

The maple leaf finished the worlds fourth in the medal table, and that’s just the beginning.