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18 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR:JONKUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2012 Most competitive field ever for 1,000m final, van Koeverden says Continued from page 1 MARTA IWANEK / OAKVILLE BEAVER / @HALTON_PHOTOG Adam van Koeverden and Mark Oldershaw paddle in the Olympic finals. They were rewarded for their dedication as van Koeverden won silver in the men's kayak 1,000-metre event and Oldershaw claimed bronze in the men's canoe 1,000m. EARLY RISERS: Burloak Canoe Club members packed their clubhouse as early as 4 a.m. yesterday (Wednesday) to watch teammates Dream comes true for Oldershaw By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLEBEAVERSTAFF Mark Oldershaw raced toward the finish line yesterday (Wednesday) with only a few metres standing between himself and an Olympic medal. He could see David Cal Figueroa charging hard to his right and as they hit the line, Oldershaw knew the Spaniard beat him, edging him by half a second. He also knew Germany's Sebastien Brendel, in the lane to his left, had won the race. What he didn't know was if anyone else on the far side of the course beat him to the line. Oldershaw glanced over his shoulder, then turned back and raised his hand to his mouth, looking like a kid who just opened the most awesome Christmas present ever. "I couldn't believe it," said Oldershaw, who claimed the bronze medal in the C-1 (canoe single) 1,000-metre. "It was almost disbelief. You think about it so often and you picture it a million times and then it finally happens. It was shocking." It may have been shocking, but it was four years in the making. Oldershaw executed a race plan he and his coach, and father, Scott Oldershaw devised in 2009. Sixth at the 250m mark, Oldershaw slowly began picking off STEVE RUSSELL / TORONTO STAR opponents before making a surge in the second half. He worked his way up to second before he was edged by Cal Figueroa in the I DID IT: Mark Oldershaw's reaction says it all after the 29-year-old final strokes. Burloak Canoe Club member realized he won Olympic bronze in the See Third, page 19 men's canoeing singles 1,000-metre event. that van Koeverden chose not to enter. That, van Koeverden said, led to a much more competitive 1,000m race. Prior to the event, he told reporters that there were half a dozen paddlers who had a realistic shot at winning gold. "In the past, some guys might have just raced (the 500m or the 1,000m) because they thought their medal chances were better in that one distance," van Koeverden said. "Now, anyone who can paddle for more than two minutes is racing in the 1,000m." Van Koeverden uti"In the past, some guys lized his trademark strategy once again in might have raced (one yesterday's final, blow- event) because they ing out to an early lead. thought their medal He was 0.8 seconds chances were better in ahead of Norway's Eirik that one distance. Now, Veras Larsen at the halfway point of the race, anyone who can paddle but the 36-year-old for more than two Larsen narrowed the minutes is racing in gap to 0.2 seconds by the 1,000m." the 750m mark and then overtook van Adam van Koeverden Koeverden in the final stretch, beating out his Canadian rival -- and friend -- by 0.7 seconds. Van Koeverden said he had no regrets about the race. "It's always hard to get passed at the end, but that's the race plan I employed and I knew I was racing against some fast finishers. I knew I had to set a high pace so I could just test myself and sometimes, as I showed at the world championships last year (when he won the 1,000m title), it really pays off," the Loyola grad said. "I had a great finish. It wasn't my best ever, and you're always trying to make that best ever happen on the day of the Olympics, but it's kind of up in the air. I'm proud of my silver medal and thrilled to be on the podium again." Any interviews van Koeverden had following the silver-medal win included questions about whether this was his final Olympics or whether he plans on making another four-year commitment to compete in Rio de Janeiro 2016. At this point, van Koeverden is noncommittal about his future. But he said that doesn't mean he's dodging the question. "I'm looking forward to more races in my life. I don't know what form it will take," he said. "I'm certainly not too old for this sport. I just got beat by a 36-year-old."