Rising stars of Canadian rowing showcase their power at CanAmMex Regatta
After an exciting week-long camp and two days of racing, Canadian rowers head home with 12 medals, including three gold, and a lifetime of great memories and experiences.
- Featured
- Jul 17, 2023
Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA) rowers have concluded the 2023 CanAmMex International Regatta with 12 medals, including three gold, after the culmination of the week-long, collaborative camp between Canada, the United States of America and Mexico. The 2023 camp took place in Sarasota, Florida from July 9-15 with racing taking place on Friday and Saturday.
On Friday morning, Junior Women’s Pair Talia Nixon and Jade Postma were the first Canadians on the podium after winning silver in a competitive race, that saw the young Canadians challenge the gold medal-winning USA pair all the way, with fellow Canadians Malarie Jones and Anya Prokopchuk finishing in fourth place.
It was a golden race for the Junior Women’s Quad of Chloé Fortin, Sasha Anderson, Meghan Harris and Elizabeth Najjar overcoming the United States of America crew to win the final by 3.4 seconds in an impressive time of 7:03 for the teens.
In a battle of teammates for the Junior Women’s Single, it was Elizabeth Najjar who pipped fellow Canadian Chloé Fortin to take the gold medal after a thrilling race that saw them finish within two seconds of each other.
The Junior Men’s Single final saw Zachary Kano win the bronze medal after a stirring row, narrowly missing out on the silver medal position, while teammate Michael Gore surged home to finish in fourth place.
Elizabeth Najjar added a third gold when she partnered with Sasha Anderson in the Junior Women’s Double ahead of the American double in a time of 7:46.442, with teammates Chloé Fortin and Meghan Harris taking home the bronze medal in a time of 7:55.754.
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It was silver for the Junior Men’s Double of Zachary Kano and Caillen Pieckenhagen who pushed the USA double right to the finish line. The double then joined with teammates Conor Dillon and Michael Gore to take home silver in the Junior men’s quad.
The Junior Women’s Four of Eryn Wale, Sydney Swick, Rachel Dirks and Mélanie Helfenstein with Sabrina Seville as cox, powered to a silver medal in the final, gaining invaluable experience as a crew after a great week in camp. The five rowers then joined with Anya Prokopchuk, Malarie Jones, Talia Nixon and Jade Postma, to compete in the Junior Women’s Eight in a head-to-head battle against the USA crew, finishing in second place after a hard-fought race in a notable time of 6:54.344.
In a showcase of the spirit of the CanAmMex Regatta, three of the Canadian men’s team joined with five of the Mexican men’s team to form a composite CANMEX Men’s Eight in the final race of the regatta. Sourcing a bilingual coxie from a local rowing club, the team competed valiantly in the head-to-head race with the United States, and while they were not victorious today, it provided a great memory for all the competitors, the regatta and showed the collaboration between the nations.
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Among the coaches for the CanAmMex Team was London 2012 Olympic silver medallist Janine Stephens (née Hanson) who took to social media to express her delight at coaching the team in Sarasota, Florida.
“Coaching this group in Florida this week has been so fun. They are ready to work hard, willing to learn, and driven to improve. I’ll take that!” Stephens posted online.
Janine Stephens (Manitoba Rowing Association) was joined by Max Button (Aviron Lachine Rowing) and Rick Storm (Row Nova Scotia) in coaching the junior team at the camp.
With their astounding performances at the CanAmMex Regatta, the rising stars of Canadian rowing have had, for many, their first appearance on the international stage.
Bolstered by a dedicated coaching staff and a spirit of collaboration, as the team returns home with their well-earned medals and unforgettable memories, the future of Canadian rowing looks brighter than ever.
2023 Canadian CanAmMex Regatta Results
Junior Women’s Single (JW1x) – Gold
Elizabeth Najjar (Don Rowing Club / Ontario)
Junior Women’s Double (JW2x) – Gold
Sasha Anderson (North Star Rowing Club / Nova Scotia)
Elizabeth Najjar (Don Rowing Club / Ontario)
Junior Women’s Quad (JW4x) – Gold
Chloé Fortin (Aviron Lachine Rowing Club / Quebec)
Sasha Anderson (North Star Rowing Club / Nova Scotia)
Meghan Harris (Guelph Rowing Club / Ontario)
Elizabeth Najjar (Don Rowing Club / Ontario)
Junior Women’s Single (JW1x) – Silver
Chloé Fortin (Aviron Lachine Rowing Club / Quebec)
Junior Men’s Double (JM2x) – Silver
Zachary Kano (Wayland-Weston Rowing Association / Massachusetts)
Caillen Piekenhagen (Ridley College / Ontario)
Junior Women’s Pair (JW2-) – Silver
Talia Nixon (Ridley College / Ontario)
Jade Postma (Ridley College / Ontario)
Junior Men’s Quad (JM4x) – Silver
Zachary Kano (Wayland-Weston Rowing Association / Massachusetts)
Caillen Piekenhagen (Ridley College / Ontario)
Michael Gore (Ontario Next Gen Performance Centre / Ontario)
Conor Dillon (Claremont CSI / British Columbia)
Junior Women’s Coxed Four (JW4+) – Silver
Sabrina Seville (cox) (Branksome Hall / Ontario)
Eryn Wale (Victoria City Rowing Club / British Columbia)
Sydney Swick (Ridley College / Ontario)
Rachel Dirks (Havergal College and Argonaut Rowing Club / Ontario)
Mélanie Helfenstein (North Star Rowing Club / Nova Scotia)
Junior Women’s Eight (JW8+) – Silver
Sabrina Seville (cox) (Branksome Hall / Ontario)
Mélanie Helfenstein (North Star Rowing Club / Nova Scotia)
Rachel Dirks (Havergal College and Argonaut Rowing Club / Ontario)
Eryn Wale (Victoria City Rowing Club / British Columbia)
Anya Prokopchuk (Brentwood College / British Columbia)
Talia Nixon (Ridley College / Ontario)
Jade Postma (Ridley College / Ontario)
Malarie Jones (Notre Dame Rowing Club / Ontario)
Sydney Swick (Ridley College / Ontario)
Junior Men’s Eight (JM8+) – Silver
Zachary Kano (Wayland-Weston Rowing Association / Massachusetts)
Caillen Piekenhagen (Ridley College / Ontario)
Conor Dillon (Claremont CSI / British Columbia)
Kevin Edmonds (Mexico)
Emiliano Cuevas (Mexico)
Tirso Abrica (Mexico)
Pedro Contreras (Mexico)
Santiago Valencia (Mexico)
Junior Men’s Single (JM1x) – Bronze
Zachary Kano (Wayland-Weston Rowing Association / Massachusetts)
Junior Women’s Double (JW2x) – Bronze
Chloé Fortin (Aviron Lachine Rowing Club / Quebec)
Meghan Harris (Guelph Rowing Club / Ontario)
Junior Men’s Single (JM1x) – Fourth
Michael Gore (Ontario Next Gen Performance Centre / Ontario)
Junior Women’s Pair (JW2-) – Fourth
Malarie Jones (Notre Dame Rowing Club / Ontario)
Anya Prokopchuk (Brentwood College / British Columbia)
Coaches
Janine Stephens (Manitoba Rowing Association)
Max Button (Aviron Lachine Rowing)
Rick Storm (Row Nova Scotia)
