Andrew Russell
Andrew Russell is among Canada’s strongest international threats with Gabriel Beauchesne-Sévigny in the C-2 500 and 1,000 metre events. Although they had raced briefly together before, it was in 2006 that they joined forces. Since then, they have been threatening the medal podium at world championships and Olympic Games.
It was at the Beijing Games, the pair received its biggest confidence boost when they reached the two C-2 finals placing fifth in the 500 and sixth in the 1,000. They experienced a tough year training wise and weren’t exactly sure how they would fare in Beijing. ‘’It came down to those races at the Olympics, whether everything was worth it,’’ said Russell.
All these great results are the highlights of a great comeback story for Russell who actually stopped padding for almost four years. He decided to switch the focus to his university studies and also took time to heal a serious shoulder injury suffered in 2001.
‘’I wasn’t really sure at that time whether I wanted to continue paddling,’’ he said. ‘’But once I completed school I certainly wanted to return and give it another shot. It was tough to get back into paddling shape but I’m glad I did it.’’
Russell, who grew up in a paddling family at Lake Banook – his father was a national age group champion and his brother Benjamin is a rising star on the national team – graduated in political sciences at Queen’s University and hopes to pursue a career in business.
The Mazda CanoeKayak Knockout is another event circled on Russell’s calendar every year. “It’s a great opportunity to showcase the sport and it provides a lot of great memories for the paddlers.”
Contact Lorraine Lafreniere at CKC to add your name to the growing list llafreniere@canoekayak.ca
