Caileigh Filmer and Hillary Janssens win gold for Canada in women’s pairs at 2018 World Rowing Championships

Caileigh Filmer (Canadian Olympic Committee, with permission) (Rowing Canada Aviron)

Caileigh Filmer of Victoria, British Columbia and Hillary Janssens of Cloverdale, British Columbia won a gold medal for Canada on Saturday at the 2018 World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. It was the only gold medal for Canada in an event with Olympic status at the World Rowing Championships. Team Canada also came away with a silver medal in the women’s eights on Sunday.

Filmer and Janssens posted a gold medal time of six minutes, 50.670 seconds. New Zealand’s Grace Prendergrast and Kerri Gowler won the silver medal with a time of six minutes, 52.96 seconds. Anna Boada Peiro and Aina Cid of Spain won the bronze medal with a time of seven minutes. 4.6 seconds.

Filmer and Janssens also comfortably reached the podium. They were 16.240 seconds faster than Alessandra Patelli and Sara Bertolasi of Italy, who finished in fourth place with a time of seven minutes, 6.91 seconds.

In the women’s eights, the Canadians who struck silver were Lisa Roman of Langley, British Columbia, Susanne Grainger and Christine Roper of London, Ontario, Kristen Kit of St. Catharines, Ontario, Madison Mailey of Lions Bay, British Columbia, Stephanie Grauer of Vancouver, British Columbia and Sydney Payne, Rebecca Zimmerman and Jennifer Martins of Toronto, Ontario. The Canadian silver medal winning time was six minutes, 3.05 seconds. The United States won gold with a time of six minutes and .97 seconds.  Australia won the bronze with a time of six minutes, 3.06 seconds.

Canada earned a podium spot by 3.43 seconds over the Netherlands, who finished in fourth place with a time of six minutes, 6.48 seconds. The gold medals for Filmer and Janssens and silver medals for Roman, Grainger, Roper, Kit, Mailey. Grauer, Payne, Zimmerman and Martins will give them confidence as they prepare for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. 

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