Canadian Richard Dalton powers to finish third place in the Men's C1 500m semi-finals for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games at the Schinias Rowing and Canoeing Center, outside Athens, 26 August 2004.Getty Images/ MAXIM MARMURMAXIM MARMUR/Getty Images
Richard Dalton's paddle finally arrived from Poland in time for his final race at the Sprint Nationals and he dashed to a Canadian record time and victory Saturday in the C-1 (canoe singles) 200-metre race.
Dalton, a bronze medallist in the event at the world championships in Poland last weekend, competed all week without his familiar and all important equipment piece. It finally arrived Saturday afternoon.
"It was a pretty tough week for me," said Halifax native. "When you are use to a certain way of paddling and you lose that familiarity it was difficult to adjust. When I had the paddle for the 200, I felt that confidence again and got the intensity back."
Dalton clocked 40.438 seconds finishing ahead of Gabriel Beauchesne-Sevigny of Trois-Rivieres, Que., the previous record owner since 2006, in second at 41.816 while Jonathan Pike of Waverley, N.S., was third in 42.012.
Double world champion Laurence Vincent-Lapointe of Trois-Rivieres, Que., notched victories in the women's C-1 200 and C-1 500. The 18-year-old ended the week with seven gold as she also competed in the junior and juvenile divisions.
"I'm still riding the wave from the worlds, it was such an incredible experience," said Vincent-Lapointe who earned her gold in Poland in the C-1 200 and C-2 500 with Mallorie Nicholson of Oakville, Ont. "It was a performance I didn't expect and it gave me the taste for victory."
Other victors in women's senior competition on Saturday included: Emilie Fournel of Montreal in the K-1 1,000, Jillian D'Alessio of Middle Sackville, N.S., and Hannah Vaughan of Halifax in the K-2 1,000 and Mylanie Barre and Andreanne Langlois, both of Lac-Beauport, in the K-2 200.
Three-time Olympic medallist Adam Van Koeverden of Oakville was also busy posting wins in the K- 1 500, the K-2 500 with Chris Pellini, the K-4 1,000 with Burloak Club teammates Pellini, Chris Mehak, and Brady Reardon and the C-15 war canoe race with his club.
Mark Oldershaw of Burlington took the C-1 500, in which the top-six finishers were all on the world championship team, and also won the C-2 200 with Aaron Rublee of Kamloops, B.C. Pellini, Reardon, Oldershaw and Rublee were also all in the C-15 boat for Burloak.
Other victors in men's competition included: Andrew Willows of Carleton Place, Ont., in K-1 200 and Steve Jorens of Candiac, Que., and Ryan Cochrane of Windsor, N.S., in the K-2 200.