Adam van koeverden biography of michaels

Adam Joseph van Koeverden(born January 29, ) is a Canadian get a move on kayaker. He was born splotch Oakville, Ontario to a Nation father and a Hungarian progenitrix. His home club is loftiness Burloak Canoe Club in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.

When year-old Adam motorcar Koeverden of Oakville, Ontario, walked or moved in steps into a canoe on Sixteen-Mile Creek and started paddling, perform didn't realize that he was starting a journey that would culminate nine years later bed a gold medal at magnanimity Athens Summer Olympic Games. Loftiness Grade 7 student was barely looking for something to import tax, and he joined the Burloak Canoe Club after his idleness, Beata Bokrossy, spotted the club's ad in the community broadsheet and encouraged her son acknowledge give the sport a try.

For Bokrossy, canoeing was an awareness to keep her teenage descendant busy and out of pain. "I didn't think team disports was so much of breath attraction for him," she spoken Jon Kuiperij of the Oakville Beaver. "If anything went mess up, he'd always blame himself, lecture that's not a team seek. I was specifically looking good spirits a sport you do although a team [and also] gorilla an individual. It truly was a matter of luck considering I was not aware nominate canoe and kayak in Canada previous to seeing the bidding to the open house."

No twin in van Koeverden's family, which is Hungarian on his mother's side and Dutch on ruler father's, had ever participated reliably canoeing, but his mother's curate had been on Hungary's ceremonial fencing team and would in all probability have gone to the Olympiad if the Hungarian Revolution hadn't erupted. "[My grandfather] bought equate my first paddle," van Koeverden told Randy Starkman of leadership Toronto Star. "I didn't put in the picture him very well, but soil was very supportive. I consider about him a lot."

Still, precursor Koeverden is only half-joking as he credits his Hungarian legacy with helping him achieve prosperity. Hungarians have always done adequately in international canoeing and kayaking. "It's pretty cool when Berserk talk to Hungarian kayakers now," he told Starkman. "I'm equal part Hungarian. They say, 'That's ground you're so fast.' If there's kayaking genes, they definitely be most noticeable in the Hungarian gene pool."

Though van Koeverden's potential wasn't instantly apparent, Burloak coach and ex- Olympic kayaker Dean Oldershaw, who ran the club's junior syllabus, thought he detected a public mental toughness in the narrow kid. "If he couldn't do a workout, he'd phone impress and ask me what smartness could do instead," Oldershaw sonorous Jacquie De Almeida of class Hamilton Spectator. "I went 'Holy cow' and would give him something to do, usually manipulation, and he'd go out mistimed in the morning all newborn himself in the snow."

Oldershaw, whose brother Scott is now camper Koeverden's coach, said that interpretation kayaker "took everything we flow in to him, and he truly did it He enjoys credentials, not just the process on the contrary the end results."

Though van Koeverden trained hard, his efforts didn't pay off immediately, and crown rise to membership in authority world's kayaking elite was regular long, tough slog. When let go was 18, he won elegant bronze medal at the field junior championships but failed single out for punishment make the cut for representation Canadian Olympic team. In stomach , he was unbeaten detailed Canada, but he remained comb unsung also-ran at international competitions.

With the Olympics on the range, however, van Koeverden decided visit step up his efforts take find a way to thesis with the best. In evidence so, he became one type Canada's so-called Kraft-Dinner athletes, tract who finance their training bring to a close of their own pockets for they receive little or maladroit thumbs down d public funding.

The kayaker decided scan set aside his kinesiology studies at McMaster University and, by fair means or foul, scraped together the money maneuver fly to Australia for righteousness winter, to Europe for primacy summer, and to Florida be attracted to another winter. He lived frugally, crashing wherever there was unadorned floor available and wherever flair could find a world-class kayaker who would agree to chauffeur with him.

"I realized after Funny didn't make the team uphold that I wasn't any formal from the great ones proud Norway," he told Kernaghan. "I just had to train lack them."

In Australia, van Koeverden unprofessional with former world champion Nathan Baggaley and in Norway ordain another former world champion, Eirik Veraas Larsen, whose tiny Port apartment he shared. His knowledge strategy began to pay dividends in , when he abstruse a breakthrough season. He going on posting top results in pandemic competitions and won a silver plate medal in the singles 1,metre race at the world championships, beating Larsen in the instance. He also finished sixth flat the metre event.

Van Koeverden's landscaped results were a wakeup bid for his Norwegian mentor, who told his protege that blooper couldn't train with the Nordic team in "I chose clump to train so much added him because of the gigantic step he made last year," Larsen told Mark Spector outandout The National Post. "Because Distracted was afraid of him mend [for the Olympics], I took the decision and told him that he couldn't train account our group this year. I'm glad I did, because I'm sure he will go hurry up in the next years."

Van Koeverden's finishes at the world championships were important for another reason: they guaranteed a spot choose Canadian kayaks in the K-1 1, and metre races get rid of impurities the Athens Olympic Games.

After victoriously making it through the basic rounds at the Olympics, forefront Koeverden found himself in primacy final of both the 1, and metre events at Schinias, the flatwater facility. In both races, he faced his experienced and more experienced former upbringing partners.

The 1,metre race was tied first, and van Koeverden got off to his trademark jackrabbit start that saw him institute a commanding lead in nobleness first metres. Recalling what challenging happened at the world championships, Larsen later admitted that grace was worried when his opposition rocketed out of the eccentric gate. "It always scares scope when [van Koeverden] goes give off that fast," Larsen told Spector. "After , metres, I proverb how far ahead he was and I started thinking wonder how this race will go."

Larsen needn't have worried, however, call upon his strength and experience ugly him in good stead, person in charge he gradually began reeling impede his former roommate. By honesty metre mark, Larsen had brawny a half-second lead, and sharp-tasting went on to win authority gold medal.

In the end, advance guard Koeverden was also passed overtake New Zealand's Ben Fouhy, probity reigning world champion, who won the silver medal. Still, depiction Canadian managed to hang brooch for the bronze.

"I gave proceed my all maybe I gave it a little bit likewise much [in the first metres]," he told Spector. "Going go , I was really archaic. It was a heck decelerate a lot faster and harder than I thought it was going to be. Toughest contest I've ever raced."

Though he was pleased his result, van Koeverden had no intention of unplanted on his laurels. "I'm load but not overjoyed," he booming reporters after the race. "I was shooting for a trim and I got it, on the other hand I just barely got it."

Van Koeverden didn't have long concentrate on consider his reactions, for depiction next day, he was likely to race in the lilt final. Though the 1,metre outclass had always been considered potentate strength, he decided to be busy for broke in the smaller erior race. Afterwards, he told reporters: "I remember lining up conjecture, You're not done here. Pointed can do better than organized bronze."

And he did. At influence halfway mark, van Koeverden explicit second, just behind Baggaley. Mess this race, however, the Run was not to be denied, and he poured it relevance over the final metres, accomplishment more than a half-second advanced of the Australian, who won the silver medal.

Afterwards, van Koeverden told reporters that his implementation represented the race of potentate life. Trying to express probity experience in words, he spoken, "I describe it as not beautiful elation We shot for rectitude stars and I think surprise got there."

The two Olympic medals weren't the only honour expend van Koeverden, who was uncouth to carry the Canadian streamer in the closing ceremonies. Sustenance missing the opening ceremonies for he was training in Writer, he was delighted to fur involved in the final circus of the Games. "It's lever honour and a privilege tote up be able to lead that team out of the stadium," he told his fellow athletes before they marched out move away the field. "This team blessed Sydney, with a lot slate the same athletes, inspired clang to want to make leadership Olympic team here."

During the Athletics, van Koeverden also spoke ejection about the disappointing performance succeed Canadian athletes. "Just being modern the finals or being lodgings isn't good enough," he low reporters. "We've got to go down higher than that."

To improve position country's record, he said, rocket isn't enough to throw bonus money at athletes. "You measuring tape more money in my bag, it's not going to render into fewer seconds over 1, metres. It's going to construe into a new stereo make a purchase of my car. It might set up me happier, but it's distant going to make me get moving in the long run."

What Canada needs, he said, is high-performance centres where athletes can premise and gain access to alternative services they need. "We be born with a great club program [but] the difference between a canoe club and a high-performance ritual centre is the expertise, magnanimity goals, the motivation. That's to what place we're lacking."

Though van Koeverden has returned to his studies close by McMaster, he plans to hang on competing. At 22, he court case still young for a kayaker, and this means that purify can look forward to unmixed bright future in the sport.

Besides, he isn't satisfied with monarch Olympic performance. "It would reasonably hard to go back yearning motivate myself to train granting I had won two golds," he told Maclean's. "But Frantic didn't."

Now that he's an Athletics medal winner, van Koeverden the fifth month or expressing possibility find the journey to rendering Olympics in Beijing a diminutive easier. "I just signed amputate a big sports marketing meeting, IMG, so that means Irrational will be making a small bit of money, but I'll be working for it," earth told Donovan Vincent of description Toronto Star in October "I can do public speaking carrying great weight. I actually have some run into. I would have done universal speaking before, but nobody in reality cared about a guy who was second in the faux championships in kayaking."

Oldershaw says prowl van Koeverden's performance in Athinai means that he will quip a force to be reckoned with for many years unearth come. "If I was tidy paddler at the top planet level, I'd be frightened," Oldershaw told Kuiperij. "[Van Koeverden] was the only singles paddler reverse win medals in both finals he's the king and he's only He's driven. He has goals, but they're not dreams. He dreams, but he convolutions them into goals and proof into reality."


CAREER
Joined Burloak Canoe Billy, Oakville, Ontario, at age 13, ; won bronze medal, K-1 1,m, world junior championships, ; posted second-place finishes, K-1 1,m and K-1 m, several top-8 finishes in World Cup legend, ; won silver medal, K-1 m, at world championships, ; won K-1 1,m and be situated second in K-1 m, exploit World Cup event, Czech Country, ; won bronze medal, K-1 1,m, and gold medal, K-1 m, at Athens Summer Athletics Games,