2025 Canoe Slalom Trials at Tamihi
The 2025 Canadian National Team Trials were held May 3-4 at the Tamihi Rapids on the Chilliwack River, hosted by the Chilliwack Centre of Excellence Paddling Club. With around 40 athletes from across the country competing, the event also served as an ICF ranking race on Saturday, adding international points and stakes to an already exciting weekend.
CCE athletes made a strong showing across the board, with paddlers aged 11-21 taking on the technical Tamihi course in pursuit of national team selection. The club is proud to announce that 16-year-old Michal Smiesko has been named to the Canadian Junior National Team and will represent Canada at the 2025 ICF Junior World Championships this July in France. Michal’s selection follows his gold medal performance earlier this year in the men’s junior division at the 2025 Pan American Championships in Montgomery, Alabama.
Canada’s 2024 Olympians Alex Baldoni and Lois Betteridge took top spots in their respective kayak divisions, with Lois also claiming the women’s canoe category. Tyler Gevaert won the men’s canoe division.
The Trials came just one week after CCE hosted the annual Rich Weiss Memorial Race on April 27. That event saw Trevor Boyd (AB) win the men’s kayak division, with Paige Cartwright (ON) taking the women’s kayak title. Isaac and Paige Zimmerman (ON) swept the men’s and women’s canoe categories.
