BEIJING - Star kayaker Adam van Koeverden may be under more pressure than any other Canadian athlete at the Beijing Games.
He has been pegged as one of Canada's top medal hopefuls, was the country's flag-bearer at the opening ceremonies and his list of interview requests seems endless.
Yet he seems as comfortable as ever now that he's back in the spotlight.
Van Koeverden looked strong Monday in winning his opening heat in the men's K-1 1,000 metres to advance straight to Friday's final. He said he was happy to be back in competition mode after 10 days of on-site training.
"I know what the water feels like," van Koeverden said. "I just want to race now."
Wearing white-framed sunglasses and his hat on backwards, van Koeverden got out to a quick start and didn't let up on a warm, sunny afternoon at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park. He led from start to finish with a time of three minutes 29.622 seconds.
"This was the first chance to put my best effort forward just to see what I could do," van Koeverden said. "So far so good."
Van Koeverden, who won bronze in the 1,000 and gold in the K-1 500 at the Athens Games in 2004, is a favourite to return to the podium in both of his events. His opening heat in the 500 will be held Tuesday.
The 26-year-old from Oakville, Ont., leads a strong canoe/kayak team that will race in all 12 Olympic flatwater events and has a chance to win several medals.
In men's canoe, Andrew Russell of Dartmouth, N.S., and Gabriel Beauchesne-Sevigny of Trois-Rivieres, Que., qualified for Friday's final in the men's C-2 1,000 metres by finishing third in their heat in 3:43.491.
There were four other Canadian boats on the water and all qualified for Wednesday's semifinals, including Thomas Hall of Pointe-Claire, Que., who was fourth in his heat in the C-1 1,000 metres in 4:05.198.
Hall won the silver medal in the 1,000 at the 2006 world championships and won a pair of World Cup golds this season.
"The race was all right, definitely not good by my standards," Hall said. "But at the same time it's a good kick in the behind for me."
Van Koeverden was efficient throughout his heat and was never really threatened. He finished almost two seconds ahead of Stjepan Janic of Croatia.
"The first race is always a little jittery," van Koeverden said. "The first race of the regatta, you're just sort of getting used to your surroundings."
After his heat, van Koeverden appeared relaxed and satisfied as he handled yet another wave of the usual questions from reporters. He answered them all and when the media attache suggested it might be time to wrap things up, van Koeverden said he wanted to stay until everyone had what they needed.
He doesn't seem the least bit bothered by the attention. He's not cocky yet he oozes confidence. He seems ready to go.
"You can't really train (for) pressure so much," van Koeverden said. "You just have to have races under your belt. I've got lots of those."
Van Koeverden comes into the Games with some momentum after dominating another World Cup season. He won gold in the 500 at last year's world championship and silver in the 1,000.
His toughest challenge this week should come from Tim Brabants of Britain and Norway's Eirik Veraas Larsen. Brabants won his heat in 3:27.828 and Larsen took his in 3:29.043.
On Monday, Emilie Fournel of Dorval, Que., Karen Furneaux of Waverley, N.S., Genevieve Beauchesne-Sevigny of Trois-Rivieres, Que., and Kristin Gauthier of Ottawa were fifth in their women's K-4 500 heat in 1:39.36.
In the K-2 men's 1,000, Steven Jorens of Aurora, Ont., and Ryan Cuthbert of Carleton Place, Ont., were seventh in their heat in 3:29.037. In the K-4 men's 1,000, Angus Mortimer and Rhys Hill of Ottawa, Brady Reardon of Burlington, Ont., and Chris Pellini of Mississauga, Ont., were fifth in their heat in 3:06.811.
