Adam van Koeverden
Encyclopedia
Adam Joseph van Koeverden (born January 29, 1982) is a Canadian
sprint kayaker. He was born in Oakville, Ontario
to a Dutch
father and a Hungarian
mother. His home club is the Burloak Canoe Club
in Oakville
, Ontario
, Canada
.
, 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 ICF Canoe Sprint 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 ICF Canoe Sprint 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. At the 2007 ICF Canoe Sprint 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 m at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with a time of 1:35.554. He finished 8th place in the 1000m race, and finished with a silver medal in the K-1 500 m race. Originally, he had been listed as bronze medalist, until the scoreboard was corrected to indicate he had finished second. van Koeverden had lead most of the way from the start, but was overtaken by the Australian winner Ken Wallace
at the finish line, with British bronze medallist Tim Brabants
ending in a photo finish with him.
In the leadup to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, van Koeverden was named flag bearer
for the Canadian Olympic team
at the opening ceremonies
.
At the 2009 world championships
in Dartmouth
, he won a bronze medal in the K-1 1000 m event. The following year
, he won another bronze, only this time it was in the K-1 500 m event.
Van Koeverden is a graduate of McMaster University
. He graduated in June 2007 as valedictorian
of his class.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
sprint kayaker. He was born in Oakville, Ontario
Oakville, Ontario
Oakville is a town in Halton Region, on Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area. As of the 2006 census the population was 165,613.-History:In 1793, Dundas Street was surveyed for a military road...
to a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
father and a Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
mother. His home club is the Burloak Canoe Club
Burloak Canoe Club
The Burloak Canoe Club is a flatwater canoe/kayak racing club located in Oakville, Ontario. It serves the communities of Burlington and Oakville and provides a variety of canoe-based activities for local residents focusing primarily on the two disciplines of sprint canoe and sprint kayak...
in Oakville
Oakville, Ontario
Oakville is a town in Halton Region, on Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area. As of the 2006 census the population was 165,613.-History:In 1793, Dundas Street was surveyed for a military road...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Sporting career
He won a bronze medal in the K-1 1000 m at the 1999 world junior championships in ZagrebZagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, 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
2003 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 2003 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held September 10–14, 2003 in Gainesville, Georgia, United States at Lake Lanier. Located north of Atlanta, this was also where the canoe sprint and rowing events for the 1996 Summer Olympics took place....
in Gainesville, Georgia
Gainesville, Georgia
-Severe Weather:Gainesville sits on the very fringe of Tornado Alley, a region of the United States where severe weather is common. Supercell thunderstorms can sweep through any time between March and November, but are concentrated most in the spring...
in the men's K-1 1000 m event. At the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
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
Lou Marsh Trophy
The Lou Marsh Trophy, also known as the Lou Marsh Memorial Trophy and Lou Marsh Award, is a trophy that is awarded annually to Canada's top athlete, professional or amateur. It is awarded by a panel of journalists, with the vote taking place in December. It was first awarded in 1936...
as Canada's top athlete of 2004.
In 2005, van Koeverden won two medals at the 2005 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
: a silver in the K-1 1000 m and a bronze in the K-1 500 m. At the 2006 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Szeged, Hungary
Szeged
' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in 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
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
, he won five gold medals (K-1 1000 m, K-2 1000 m, K-4 1000 m, K-4 200 m, and War Canoe
War Canoe
A war canoe is a watercraft of the canoe type designed and outfitted for warfare, and which is found in various forms in many world cultures. In modern times, such designs have become adapted as a sport, and "war canoe" can mean a type of flatwater racing canoe.-War canoes as sport:War canoe is...
), 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. At the 2007 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Duisburg, Germany
Duisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
, 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 m at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with a time of 1:35.554. He finished 8th place in the 1000m race, and finished with a silver medal in the K-1 500 m race. Originally, he had been listed as bronze medalist, until the scoreboard was corrected to indicate he had finished second. van Koeverden had lead most of the way from the start, but was overtaken by the Australian winner Ken Wallace
Ken Wallace
Ken Wallace, born 26 July 1983 in Gosford, New South Wales, is an Australian sprint canoer who has competed since the mid 2000s.Wallace originally competed in Ironman events and only switched to sprint racing at the age of sixteen...
at the finish line, with British bronze medallist Tim Brabants
Tim Brabants
Tim Brabants MBE is a British sprint kayaker who has competed since the late 1990s. Competing in three Summer Olympics, he won three medals with one gold and two bronzes .Brabants won the K-1 1000 m European championship at Szeged, Hungary in 2002, the first time a British paddler had...
ending in a photo finish with him.
In the leadup to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, van Koeverden was named flag bearer
2008 Summer Olympics national flag bearers
During the Parade of Nations portion of the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, athletes from each country participating in the Olympics paraded in the arena, preceded by their flag...
for the Canadian Olympic team
Canada at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Canada, which is represented by the Canadian Olympic Committee , competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China, from August 8 to 24, 2008. Canadian athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games since 1900, except the 1980 Summer Olympics which they boycotted...
at the opening ceremonies
2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony
The 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony was held at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest. It began at 8:00 pm China Standard Time on August 8, 2008, as 8 is considered to be a lucky number. The number 8 is associated with prosperity and confidence in Chinese culture...
.
At the 2009 world championships
2009 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 2009 International Canoe Federation Canoe Sprint World Championships were held 12–16 August 2009 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, on Lake Banook. The Canadian city was selected to host the championships in October 2003 after having done so previously in 1997...
in Dartmouth
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Dartmouth founded in 1750, is a community and planning area of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour, Dartmouth has been nicknamed the City of Lakes after the large number of lakes located in the city.On April 1, 1996, the provincial...
, he won a bronze medal in the K-1 1000 m event. The following year
2010 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 2010 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held 19–22 August 2010 in Poznań, Poland, on Lake Malta. This is the third time that the Polish city will host the championships, having done so previously in 1990 and 2001...
, he won another bronze, only this time it was in the K-1 500 m event.
Adam van Koeverden Street
To celebrate the success of the hometown hero, on October 17, 2008, Mayor Rob Burton and local councilors hosted a meet and greet session to celebrate the success of Van Koeverden. A ceremonial street name unveiling to honor Van Koeverden also preceded the event. Adam van Koeverden Street, which is currently known as Water Street, is located near his Oakville harbor home club, the Burloak Canoe Club.Education
Van Koeverden attended St. Ignatius of Loyola Secondary School located in Oakville, Ontario. He plays guitar.Van Koeverden is a graduate of McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
. He graduated in June 2007 as valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
of his class.
See also
- Caroline BrunetCaroline BrunetCaroline Brunet is a Canadian sprint kayaker who competed from the late 1980s to 2004...
, Mark OldershawMark OldershawMark Oldershaw is a Canadian sprint canoer who competed in the late 2000s. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, he was eliminated in the semifinals of the C-1 500 m event...
, Larry CainLarry CainLaurence J. Cain, is a Canadian sprint canoer, having begun his career in 1974 at the Oakville Racing Canoe Club, now the Burloak Canoe Club, in Oakville, Ontario....
, Brady ReardonBrady ReardonBrady Reardon is a Canadian sprint kayaker who competed in the late 2000s. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, he finished ninth the K-4 1000 m event.-References:*...
, Chris PelliniChris PelliniChris Pellini is a Canadian sprint kayaker. He won a silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in the men's K-4 1,000 metres event, alongside Angus Mortimer, Jeremy Bordeleau and Mark de Jonge....
, Scott OldershawScott OldershawScott Oldershaw is a Canadian sprint kayaker who competed in the mid 1980s. He was eliminated in the semifinals of the K-1 500 m event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He is a son of Bert Oldershaw, brother of Dean Oldershaw and Reed Oldershaw, and father of Mark Oldershaw.-References:*...