Émilie Fournel, Canadian kayaker, qualifies for Rio
Wins head-to-head race against Michelle Russell
Canadian kayaker Émilie Fournel qualified for the Olympics in Rio on Thursday, winning a head-to-head race against Michelle Russell.
Fournel and Russell were competing in the women's K1 500-metre event at the Canadian sprint team trials in Gainesville, Ga.
"I was taking one race at a time and just trying to paddle well," said Fournel. "I really feel like I've come a long way after not qualifying the K4 last year. This year I really had to turn it around and find new strength and new motivation. When I crossed the line I was just proud of myself that I was able to turn it around."
The following video of the race was shot from the judges' tower, with Fournel competing in the white kayak and winning by two seconds. According to Canoe Kayak Canada, audio recording was not allowed.
Fournel, whose late father, Jean, competed at the 1976 Games in Montreal, completed a comeback win to secure an Olympic spot. Her brother Hugues competes on the men's national team as well.
On Wednesday, Russell won the first final in the event and had a chance to secure her spot in Rio with a win in the second final. In that race, held earlier on Thursday, Fournel edged the Fall River, N.S. native by less than half of a second to set up a sudden-death sprint.
This will be Fournel's third Olympics. She competed in the K4 500m in 2008 and raced the K1 500m and K1 200m at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
More spots up for grabs
The Women's K1 200m spot is still open if Canada is able to qualify an additional quota at the Continental Qualifier back on Lake Lanier on May 19 and 20. Heats and semi-finals for the Women's K1 200m took place today. A two out of three finals format will determine who will represent Canada at the Continental Qualifier.
Four-time Olympic medallist Adam van Koeverden was successful in winning a second final of the Men's K1 1000m. This sets him up to compete at Continental Qualifiers in Gainesville, Georgia on May 19 and 20. A win there will earn van Koeverden a quota spot and the Olympic entry.
Mark Oldershaw won a second final in the Men's C1 1000m. The Olympic bronze medalist will compete for a quota spot at the Continental Qualifier. That will be the second step along the Olympic qualification process which may continue into World Cups.
In the Men's C2 1000m, Paul Bryant and Roland Varga won a second final to solidify themselves as the top Canadian crew for the Continental Qualifier. Bryant and Varga battled back and forth with Ben Russell and Gabriel Beauchesne-Sévigny. In the end, only 0.99 of a second separated the two crews.
Ben Tardioli repeated a win in the second final of the Men's C1 200m. The result sets Tardioli up to contend at the Continental Qualifier.
Canada can earn a maximum of two quota spots in Men's Canoe at the Continental Qualifiers. Depending on the outcome on May 19 and 20, World Cups 2 and 3 could be used to assess international performance to determine which men's canoe events Canada will prioritize.