Two golds for Quebec rowers in BC
News from coach Gavin Mckay exudes excitement over the results of the entire Quebec team over the course of this past week at the Rowing Canada National Championships and Canada Cup being hosted by Rowing BC at Burnaby Lake in British Columbia.
With Anna Burnotte bringing home a gold and the team of ten all placing in the top 24 competitors at both events, the seasoned coach is clearly delighted. “It’s been an exceptional week in terms of performance. We have far exceeded our expectations,” he exclaimed with weary excitement.
The 17- year old Burnotte out of Aviron Knowlton Rowing (AKR) rowed to the podium with a gold medal, a feat for anyone that age who would be competing in the U19 category. Mckay says that she has another year to compete in this
category and has terrific potential to go forward. “It seemed by the time her final race came around she had taken some nice steps to realize the potential she had to compete for the gold medal. We are certain the process will become more difficult as athletes will be aiming to take her spot.” Mckay says that Burnotte’s next step is to make a big effort during training and to have excellent preparation in order to make her next goal.
Marilou Duvernay-tardif, also from AKR came in fourth in the U23 women’s single. Two of the three athletes ahead of her are world champions this past summer and the other a champion at the Rio Olympics. Mckay says that Duvernay-tardif, at 19 years old, is one of the youngest competitors in her age category.
Shannon Kennedy landed her first personal best in Senior Women’s Single with an eighth place finish while after a year of recovering from an injury, Gaby Smith (AKR) finished sixth in the A final of the Senior Women’s Single. Mckay said that, “We were thrilled with her progress and look for more from her in the years to come.”
According to Mckay, Martin Robitaille (AKR) who raced in the Senior Men’s Single, spent his second National Championship with a focus to gain valuable experience. “He did just that. He was able to work his way up in the standings with each passing day. Finishing third in the C final translates to 15th overall in his category, which means a big improvement from last season when he managed a top-50 finish.
In the Senior Men’s Single, Andrew Stewart-jones captured gold for Quebec and has earned his spot as the fastest sculler in Canada. Mckay says that it has been a long process and it is fun to see Stewart-jones operating at a high level. “He has spent the past few years at the National Training Centre and is developing into a professional athlete.”
Mckay wanted to give a shout of congratulations also to Cleis Millar, Claire Britton, Marylise Dubois, and Craig McCullough, who all finished in the top 24. “An outstanding result for such a young team.”