Members of the Sudbury Canoe Club Olympic-class kayak and canoe racing team claimed three silver and two bronze medals at the provincial championships held in Kingston on August 17.
Nathanial Gryska led off the scoring with a bronze medal in the Pee Wee Men K-1 1000m race. He followed up with a silver medal performance in the Pee Wee Men K-1 100m "B" Final for first year Pee Wees.
Victor Sabau continued the winning streak by taking the bronze medal in the Pee Wee Men K-1 100m "A" Final for second year Pee Wees.
The combined times in the Pee Wee Men K-1 100m races were fast enough to earn Sudbury a second place finish in the team scoring for this event.
The Bantams were lead by Eric Brunatti who picked up the silver medal in the Bantam Men K-1 100m "B" Final for first year Bantams. He and Adrian Banete teamed up to bring home the silver medal in the Bantam Men K-2 500m race.
In other races, Eric Brunatti finished seventh and Adrian Banete finished 24th in the Bantam Men K-1 2000m race out of a field of 48 paddlers. The times posted by these two paddlers earned Sudbury a first place finish in the team scoring for the Bantam Men K-1 2000m event.
Mikaela Iturregui had a good showing in the Bantam Women K-1 2000m race. She placed ninth in the in a field of 45 paddlers. She followed up with a top ten finish in the Bantam Women K-1 100m "B" Final for first year Bantams.
This was the first time in 32 years that Sudbury has brought home medals from the Provincial Championships. Coach Cory Brunatti attributes the team's success to the dedication shown by the sprint team members to training at a level that exceeds the programs run by much larger and better funded teams from southern Ontario.
