Hughes Fournel
Hughes Fournel and his K-2 200 partner Ryan Cochrane emerged in 2010 as one the pleasant surprises in Canadian paddling sparked by their upset victory over Richard Dober Jr and Andrew Willows at the national team trials. The win allowed Fournel and Cochrane to earn the world team berth in the event. It was the first time in six years a Canadian crew had beaten Dober Jr., and Willows.
“It was the first big win of my career and I’m hopeful they’ll be
many more,” said Fournel. “Ryan and I had both qualified in the
K-1 for the World Cups and with the support of coaches we decided to form a K-2 partnership as well. We’ve been getting faster and
faster ever since.”
Fournel comes from one of the great Canadian paddling families. Both his parents paddled for Canada on the international stage.
His late father Jean Fournel competed at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal and his mother Guylaine raced in Pan American Championships. His older sister Emilie is currently one of Canada’s top international paddlers.
One of the big differences for Hughes Fournel this season is his ability to cope with a permanent shoulder injury. He suffered from neck strains three seasons ago which particularly affected one of his shoulders. He says one of the lowest moments of his career was at last season’s training camp in Florida where he was unable to paddle due to the pain. While the injury still affects him today, he says treatment and body management have allowed him to remain among the top paddlers in Canada.
Fournel is currently a general student at the Université du Québec à Montréal and aspires to work as a fireman following his paddling career. He raced at two Mazda CanoeKayak Knockout events and says the event has grown in importance particularly that the 200-metre events are now officially in the Olympic Games.
Contact Lorraine Lafreniere at CKC to add your name to the growing list llafreniere@canoekayak.ca
