Music: {allcanada} More Pan Am gold for Canada

Saturday, October 29, 2011

{allcanada} More Pan Am gold for Canada

GUADALAJARA, Mexico -- Canadian paddlers were as good as gold at the Pan American Games on Saturday.

Richard Dalton took top honours for Canada's canoe team at the Pan Am Games, then kayakers Ryan Cochrane and Hugues Fournel also won a gold medal.

The 32-year-old Dalton, a native of Halifax, won the C1 200-metre race in 40.333 seconds.

Nivalter De Jesus of Brazil took the silver in 40.619, while Roleysi Baez (41.403) of Cuba captured bronze.

"It was another very intense battle," Dalton said. "I haven't taken one second off since I made this team because I knew how tough my competition was.

"I didn't leave anything to chance, so I'm very happy with the result."

The win earned Canada a spot in the men's C1 200-metre event at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Cochrane, from Windsor, Ont., and Fournel, a native of Pointe-Claire, Que., took the gold medal in the men's K2 200-metre kayak race in 32.375.

Argentina's Miguel Correa and Ruben Voizard-Resola was right behind them, earning silver in 32.494, while Brazil's Givago Ribeiro and Gilvan Ribeiro took bronze with a time of 32.902.