Last weekend, a dedicated team of four high-performance athletes from North Bay Canoe Club (NBCC) competed at the National Team Trials and Canada Cup East Regatta in Montreal.
These events represent a crucial stage for athletes across Canada aiming to secure spots on Team Canada for the Paris 2024 Olympics and offer an incredible opportunity for local NBCC athletes to compete alongside current and former Olympic athletes.
National Team Trials
Oscar Graves tackled the highly competitive U18 Men's K-1 1,000m and 500m events at the National Team Trials. In a field of over 81 athletes, he finished 4th in his 1,000m heat, narrowly missing a semi-final berth. However, he achieved a 2nd place finish in the U18 Men’s K-1 500m C-final with a time of 1:51.6, ranking him as the 17th fastest U18 in Canada and 5th in Ontario. Oscar also partnered with Avery Duval from the Carleton Place Canoe Club for the U18 Men’s K-2 500m C-final, securing 4th place.
Haley Sebesta placed 4th in the U16 Women’s C-1 200m final with a time of 59 seconds. She also placed 7th in the U16 Women’s C-1 500m final, racing against some of the top U16 women's canoe athletes in Canada.
Wes Clouthier and Nathaniel Suppa had strong performances during the men's canoe events. Wes consistently performed well, ranking in the top 20 U16 in Canada in both the 500m and 1,000m events. Nathaniel secured 2nd in the U16 Men’s C-1 1,000m final with a new personal best of 4:56, placing him in the top twelve U16 in Canada. He also finished 7th in the 500m final. Together, they demonstrated strong teamwork with a pair of 12th place finishes in the U18 Men’s C-2 500m and 1,000m events.
Canada Cup East Regatta
The Canada Cup East Regatta provided an opportunity for the North Bay athletes' to extend their competition time in Montreal, facing top U16 and U21 athletes from Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes.
Oscar Graves joined forces with Avery Duval in another K-2 race and also teamed up with Gabe Ferron-Bouius and Mason Lowry in the U21 Men’s K4 200m, setting a remarkable time of 37.8 seconds!
Haley Sebesta teamed up with a new canoe partner, Grace Theunissen from Banook Canoe Club in the Women’s U16 C-2 500m and 1,000m events, earning two bronze medals. She also secured 7th place in the Women’s U16 C-1 1,000m final.
Wes Clouthier and Nathaniel Suppa continued to excel in crew boat events, bringing home a silver medal in the U16 Men’s IC4 and two bronze medals in the U16 Men’s C-2 1,000m and 500m events. They also had strong showings in the U16 C-1 1,000m final, finishing 5th and 7th respectively.
Coach Mihail Oghina praised the team’s exceptional performance over the four days of racing, noting their promising potential for future high-level competitions
