Quebecer Marilou Duvernay-Tardif and her partner Shannon Kennedy both had their first experience at a Senior World Cup this weekend in Poznan, Poland. The second place obtained in the B final of the double sculls confirmed to the duo that the future looks very interesting.
Posted at 11:48 a.m.
Duvernay-Tardif and Kennedy have been a team for only three weeks. The chemistry is slowly building between the two athletes who have been able to participate in four races together in the last three days alone.
“There is still work to do, but we are happy with our performance as a starting point. We are very positive, the international level is high, but we work really well together. Our techniques are a little different, so we have to find a happy medium to complement each other better, ”said Duvernay-Tardif in an interview with Sportcom.
In their first race on Friday, the Canadians finished fourth in their qualifying heat and had to go through the repechage to earn their spot in the semifinals. They responded positively to the challenge by finishing second in this race, 0.18 seconds behind the Japanese.
“It was a bit disappointing in qualifying, because you never want to have to go through the repechage. However, we took it positively by having the chance to continue to gain experience thanks to an additional race. Everything went well in the repechage, it’s fun to be at the forefront, regardless of the stakes of the race. We kept a good rhythm, it was excellent for our confidence,” said the Quebecer.
In the semi-finals, the representatives of the maple leaf finished sixth and then qualified for the B final. A somewhat disappointing result for them who, however, were able to see the bright side of things, once again.
“Of course we never row to get to the B final. It wasn’t necessarily a bad race, but we were a little below the pace imposed by the others and it’s difficult to come back up afterwards. We finished the race well even though we weren’t in the game. We continue to work hard and see the positive. »
There were some positives on Sunday in the B final. Duvernay-Tardif and Kennedy ranked second after coming back up during the second part of the course. Team Netherlands 2 was the only one to beat Canada. A great way to end a first international competition for the two rowers.
“The result is positive, but we are even more proud of the way we behaved during the race. It gives us a solid foundation for future events. We had to fight hard with the Japanese who were right next to us. We focused on our performance and it paid off,” concluded Duvernay-Tardif.
The double sculls competition was won by the Netherlands 1 team, which won the A final ahead of Ireland and the United States 1 team.
Duvernay-Tardif and Kennedy will now head to Italy for a preparation camp and will return to competition on July 8 at the World Cup in Lucerne, Switzerland.
For her part, Gabrielle Smith and her four teammates Alexis Cronk, Cassidy Deane and Morgan Rosts finished fourth in the B final after taking sixth place in the semifinals the day before.
The B final was won by the Chinese team while the A final was the affair of the Australians.