Adam van Koeverden
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Kayaking | ||
 |
2004 Athens | K-1 500 m |
 |
2004 Athens | K-1 1000 m |
Adam Joseph van Koeverden (born January 29, 1982) is a Canadian flatwater kayak racer. He was born in Oakville, Ontario.
Sporting Career
He won a bronze medal in the K-1 1000 m at the 1999 world junior championships in Zagreb, Croatia, and then became world junior marathon champion in 2000. His first success as a senior came with a silver medal at the 2003 world championships in Gainesville, Georgia in the men's K-1 1000 m event. At the 2004 Summer Olympics Van Koeverden won two medals, including a gold in the K-1 500 m and a bronze in the K-1 1000 m. He was Canada's flag bearer at the closing ceremonies and was later awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's top athlete of 2004.
In 2005, van Koeverden won two medals at the 2005 Flatwater Racing World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia: a silver in the K-1 1000 m and a bronze in the K-1 500 m. At the 2006 Flatwater Racing World Championships in Szeged, Hungary, van Koeverden finished fourth in both the K-1 500 m and 1000 m finals. At the 2006 Canadian Sprint Canoe Championships in Regina, Saskatchewan, he won five gold medals (K-1 1000 m, K-2 1000 m, K-4 1000 m, K-4 200 m, and War Canoe), and two silver medals (K-1 200 m and K-2 200 m).
Van Koeverden had great success on the World Cup circuit in 2007, going undefeated over both 500 m and 1000 m in three competitions.[1] At the 2007 Flatwater Racing World Championships in Duisburg, Germany, van Koeverden won the gold medal in the K-1 500 m and the silver medal in the K-1 1000 m.
Van Koeverden beat his own world record in the K-1 500 at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with a time of one minute and 35.554 seconds. He finished a disappointing 8th place in the 1000m race. After the race, van Koeverden said "I'm sorry."[2]
In the leadup to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, van Koeverden was named flag bearer of the Canadian Olympic team for the opening ceremonies. [3]
Education
Adam attended St. Ignatius of Loyola Secondary school located in Oakville, Ontario.
Van Koeverden is a graduate of McMaster University. He graduated in June 2007 as valedictorian of his class.[4] His home club is the Burloak Canoe Club in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
References
- ^ "Van Koeverden extends kayak streak". CBC Sports. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2007-06-02. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
- ^ "Van Koeverden advances to semis in record time". Retrieved 2008-08-21.
- ^ "Van Koeverden named Canada's flag-bearer". CBC Olympics. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2008-07-23. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
- ^ Bubak, Susan (2007-06-04). "Olympic athlete to give valedictory address". McMaster Daily News. McMaster University. Retrieved 2008-07-02.