November 29, 2015 - 2:10 PM
RIO DE JANEIRO - Cameron Smedley of Dunrobin, Ont., won a bronze medal on Sunday at the Rio 2016 Olympic Test event in the Men's C1.
"Today was a big eye opener for what's possible," said Smedley. "Being here training and competing on the Olympic course has really got me excited for next year."
Smedley was a silver medallist at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games last summer. He has been consistently Canada's top athlete in the Men's C1.
Edmonton's Ben Hayward finished 11th in the men's K1 semifinal at the test event today. He was just one spot away from advancing to the top-10 final. The athletes attended the test event to get familiar with the course and local environment in preparation for next year.
Canada has qualified quota spots in men's C1 and men's K1 for the Rio 2016 Olympics and athletes will be selected for the team next year. The canoe slalom events will take place at Whitewater Stadium in Deodoro Olympic Park next Aug. 7 to 11.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2015