Water Sports News

Tom Johnson has been named the head coach of Canada's swim team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The veteran coach has an extensive resume. He's been named to Canada's coaching staff for seven Olympic Games, nine world championships and eight Commonwealth Games and nationally his clubs have won 15 overall national team titles and 21 Canadian Interuniversity Sport titles. ``Tom has shown great leadership as head coach of the 2007 world championship team,'' Pierre Lafontaine, CEO and national ...

Ian Thorpe's swimming career could be over. The five-time Olympic champion has scheduled a news conference Tuesday at a downtown Sydney hotel. A few days ago, it was thought the announcement might be Thorpe's withdrawal from the world championships next March. But with the championship trials next month in Brisbane looming and no sign of Thorpe, who has been plagued by illness, injury and a lack of motivation in recent ...

Five-time Olympic champion Ian Thorpe is reported to be considering not competing at Australia's swim trials in December, which would rule him out of the world championships next March in Melbourne. Australian Associated Press said Saturday the 24-year-old Thorpe, who has been affected by glandular fever in the past year, has missed training sessions since returning to Australia from a three-month sojourn in Los Angeles, which ended in October. AAP says a source told it Thorpe might not ...

Canada is up to nine gold medals after earning three on Saturday at the Pan American canoe and kayak championships. In the senior 1,000-metre finals, gold medals were won by Jillian D'Alessio of Middle Sackville, N.S., in the women's K-1 (kayak singles), Ottawa's Angus Mortimer in the men's K-1 and Christine Wessman of Mississauga, Ont., in the women's C-1 (canoe singles). Other Canadians earned medals in senior competition with silvers from Mark Oldershaw of Burlington, Ont., in ...

Jaret Llewellyn of Innisfail, Alta., capped a big day at the US$100,000 U.S. Open water skiing competition on Saturday with a victory in the men's tricks event. Llewellyn, in his 23rd season on the national team, also added silver in the jump competition and was also second overall. ``Getting the win in tricks certainly makes me feel better about my day,'' said Llewellyn. ``The others struggled a bit with their passes, so I knew that if I ...

Adam van Koeverden of Oakville, Ont., won the overall men's kayak title with victories this weekend in the K-1 500 and 1,000 metres at the final stop on the World Cup canoe and kayak circuit. Canada won 10 medals in total over the weekend. Van Koeverden, the Olympic champion in the K-1 500 and third at the Athens Games in the 1,000, won both races by more than a full second to take the season title. He also ...

Several America's Cup skippers are scheduled to sail in the Allianz Cup on San Francisco Bay from Oct. 24-29, the only U.S. stop on the World Match Racing Tour. Heading the lineup is New Zealander Chris Dickson, skipper and CEO of San Francisco-based BMW Oracle Racing, the only American team entered in the 2007 America's Cup. Dickson is ranked third in the match-racing standings after winning the season-opening Portugal Match ...

POLK CITY, Fla. (CP) _ Chantal Fowler and Chris Bourne, both of Ottawa, and Saskatoon's Peter Andrews won two medals each at the Pan American championships for water skiers with a disability Saturday. Fowler took silver in slalom and tricks. Andrea Andrecyk of Brockville, Ont., took the bronze in slalom and was fourth in tricks. American Ronda Jarvis-Ray ...

ETON, England (CP) _ Canada's women's eight boat is on to the final at the world rowing championships, while the men's eight and men's pair crews have advanced to the semifinals. The women's eight finished second in its repechage race Thursday in six minutes, 10.26 seconds, despite losing time when Sabrina Kolker of West Vancouver slipped off her seat in the early part of the race. ``We were down, but ...

ETON, England (CP) _ Two Canadian boats survived repechage races Tuesday to move on at the world rowing championships. The men's four of Scott Frandsen of Kelowna, B.C., Kyle Hamilton of Richmond, B.C., Ben Rutledge of Cranbrook, B.C. and Barney Williams of Salt Spring Island, B.C., won their repechage in six minutes 1.12 seconds to move into the semifinals. ``We expected to win today and win well,'' said Canadian men's coach Mike Spracklen. ``It's a different psychology ...

LUCERNE, Switzerland (CP) _ Doug Vandor of Dewittville, Que., won a silver medal in the men's lightweight single event Saturday at the Lucerne World Cup rowing competition. Vandor finished with a time of seven minutes, 13.70 seconds. Great Britain's Zac Purchase won gold in 7:08.38. ``I drew confidence from the heat and semi (raced earlier Saturday),'' said Vandor. ``I've trained in the single for a year and a half, but I'm still learning how to ...