Canada wins double Pan American gold

Kate Haber (Owen Sound, ON) has successfully defended her Pan American Games Lightweight Women’s Double gold, racing to a first place finish at Albufera Medio Mundo in Huacho, Peru with ‘Mommy Double’ partner Jaclyn Stelmaszyk (Uxbridge, ON).

While Haber and Stelmaszyk were sitting in third after the first 500m, they charged their way up to the front, finishing with a time of 7:10.35 ahead of second place Chile and third place Cuba.

“Leading into the race it was really awesome to feel so much support behind our crew and our boat and it gave us some great confidence and some fuel that we could use during the race,” said Haber, who won gold in the same event at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. “During the race, probably with 500 metres left to go, we could hear the crowd cheering at the finish line. I could actually hear some Canada in there, and it was really exciting.”

National Team newcomer Jessica Sevick (Strathmore, AB) claimed Canada’s second rowing gold medal of the day in the Women’s Single A final. Sevick trailed the United States’ Jenifer Forbes at the 500m mark, but pushed hard to move ahead, maintaining her lead for the last half of the race. She finished with a time of 7:44.51.

“It feels pretty amazing,” Sevick said about medalling in her first international competition. “I was thinking of all the support I’ve had from my UBC coaches and RCA coaches, who took me on as a development project. I’m so happy to be able to deliver.”

The Lightweight Men’s Double crew of Josh King (Ottawa, ON) and Spencer Kielar (Guelph, ON) concluded their Pan American Games experience with a sixth place A final finish.

Pan American Games racing wraps up tomorrow, Saturday August 10, with Canadians in the Lightweight Women’s Single A final and the Men’s Single B final.

Team Canada Results and Progressions

Lightweight Women’s Single – Trish Mara
3^rd in Heat > 1^st in Repechage > A Final

Women’s Pair – Jessie Loutit & Larissa Werbicki
2^nd in Prelim > 2^nd in A Final

Lightweight Women’s Double – Kate Haber & Jaclyn Stelmaszyk
1^st in Heat > 1^st in A Final

Women’s Single – Jessica Sevick
1^st in Heat > 1^st in A Final

Women’s Double – Layla Balooch & Shannon Kennedy
3^rd in Prelim > 6^th in A Final

Lightweight Men’s Double – Spencer Kielar & Josh King
4^th in Heat > 1^st in Repechage > 6^th in A Final

Men’s Double – Luc Brodeur & Graham Peeters
5^th in Heat > 1^st in Repechage > 6^th in A Final

Men’s Single – Matthew Finley
2^nd in Heat > 5^th in A/B Semi > B Final

When and Where
August 6-10, 2019
Lima, Peru
Racing starts each day at 9:00am local time (10:00amET/7:00amPT)

Pan American Games Team

Pan Am Coaches
Carol Love (Peterborough Rowing Club)
Dane Lawson (University of Western Ontario Rowing Club)