Canadian kayak duo Langlois, Besharah-Hrebacka earn world championship bronze medal

DARTMOUTH, N.S. – The new Canadian duo of Andréanne Langlois and Toshka Besharah-Hrebacka won a world championship bronze medal in the women's 200-metre kayak Saturday.

Hungary's Blanka Kiss and Anna Luzc won the K2 sprint in 38.76 seconds in Lake Banook in Dartmouth, N.S.

Spaniards Sara Ouzande and Teresa Portela edged the Canadians for silver by just three hundredths of a second in 38.96.

Langlois, a two-time Olympian, is a decade older than the 19-year-old Besharah-Hrebacka making her mark at the senior international level for the first time.

“We both learn different things from each other,” Langlois said. "It has brought back the spark in me that sometimes you might lose in your sport when you forget how much fun paddling can be, and for that, I am very grateful to Toshka.”

Both paddlers raced in the K4 that finished ninth in the 500 metres one hour before reaching the K2 sprint podium in home waters.

“The turnaround time wasn’t as difficult as expected,” said Besharah-Hrebacka.

“We are both extremely confident in our crew and in our ability to throw down a 200 race. The biggest challenge was calming ourselves from all the excitement before our next race.”

The duo will also race the K2 500 metres Sunday.

A day after earning a silver medal in the VL2 200 metres, Paralympic paddler Brianna Hennessy added a bronze medal in the KL1 200.

Athletes in KL1 and VL2 have impeded movement in their legs and trunk.

Ottawa's Hennessy was injured when she was struck by a speeding car in Toronto in 2014.

Her top result in last summer's Paralympic Games in Tokyo was fifth in VL2, which is a va'a or outrigger canoe, after taking up the sport less than two years earlier.

“I’m known to be slow off the start and my coach calls me the ‘comeback kid’, so it’s in the last 100 metres where I really try and ramp it up and catch up to all the amazing athletes here," Hennessy said.

"I am truly humbled and can’t really believe I did this. I don’t think it’s hit me yet and I think it’s going to take a couple of days."

Canada has boats in 15 finals Sunday on the final day of world championship racing.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2022.