Canada’s Katie Vincent and Sloan Mackenzie win canoe sprint bronze

VAIRES-SUR-MARNE, France – There is one more Canadian medal on the water at the Paris Olympics.

The brilliant Canadian canoe duo of Katie Vincent and Sloan Mackenzie paddled their way through the choppy course here at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on Friday morning to capture the bronze in the women’s 500-metre double canoe event.

China, the defending champion, got out to an early lead to win gold, while the Ukraine pair surged late to secure silver.

It was a mildly disappointing effort from the Canadian duo, who had timed their preparation to perfection, reaching the biggest race of their career in peak form. After dominant performances in the preliminary heat (they set an Olympic record) and semi-final, Vincent and Mackenzie came into the final with confidence.

The duo won bronze together in the women’s C-2 500 at the 2023 Canoe Sprint World Championships, which earned them an Olympic spot. There was gold at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago.

“I think overall I have improved a lot,” Vincent said this week. “I think we were in a really tough place as a team in Tokyo. Off the water we had a lot of stuff going on, so coming into these Olympics we have a lot more positive vibes and positive energy and we are trying to use that to our advantage.”

The effort is Canada’s 22nd medal of the Paris Games.