Canada’s Katie Vincent wins sprint canoe gold, breaks national medal record

Canadian sprint canoeist Katie Vincent has won her second medal at the Paris Olympics, capturing gold in the women’s single 200-metre final Saturday. 

The 28-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., finished in 44.12 seconds, a world and Olympic record, just 1-100ths of a second ahead of Nevin Harrison of the United States who won silver. Cuba’s Yarisleidis Cirilo Duboys took bronze with a time of 44.36.

“I finished (Friday) with a bronze. I got back to my hotel room and I’m thinking ‘OK, I’ve got two bronze. Maybe it’s time to mix it up, try something new.’ So that kind of motivated me to come out today find another gear, dig a little deeper,” Vincent said Saturday. “I just wanted to have a really good race.”

The medal marked Canada’s eighth gold and 25th overall at the Paris Games. Both totals set a new mark for the most the country has won at a non-boycotted Olympics.

It was Vincent’s second medal in Paris, coming after she and Sloan MacKenzie of Dartmouth, N.S., won bronze in the women’s double 500m on Friday. 

She also took bronze in the women’s doubles 500m at the Tokyo Games. 

Sophia Jensen, of Chelsea, Que., came in sixth in the final with a personal-best time of 45.08.

“That’s super, super exciting. Only up from here so that’s awesome,” said the 22-year-old rookie Olympian. “I think this is the beginning of my story.”

Earlier on Saturday, kayaker Michelle Russell, of Fall River, N.S., came eighth in the women’s single 500m final, crossing in 1:58.83. The 32-year-old two-time Olympian finished second in her semifinal with a time of 1:50.28. 

“(In semifinals) it’s two spots up for grabs, so everyone’s going to try their best, everyone is going to bring it,” Russell said. “And then I just had to focus on what I was doing and just keep attacking and just never settle for an easy stroke.”

Kayaker Riley Melanson of Dartmouth, N.S., finished sixth in a placing race.