TORONTO 鈥� Rower Kai Langerfeld of Parksville said he doesn鈥檛 dwell on the emerging storyline about him following his dad, 1976 Montreal Games rower York Langerfeld, into the Summer Olympics.
But Kai Langerfeld looks well on his way, winning his second gold medal of the 2015 Pan American Games on Wednesday with the Canadian men鈥檚 eight crew. Langerfeld won gold in the men鈥檚 four earlier in the Games. Also part of both golden crews were and Elk Lake rowers Will Crothers and Conlin McCabe, silver medallists with the Canadian eight at the 2012 London Olympics.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think about it much [father-son Olympic angle],鈥� said Langerfeld, who is establishing himself as a leading Canadian puller for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.
鈥淢y dad had his time . . . I am in mine now. But I guess it鈥檚 in the back of my head because he did it.鈥�
Maybe it was all along.
The elder Langerfeld, whose career off the water was as a bank manager, never pushed his son into the sport. The few times the younger Langerfeld went on the water with his dad, Kai admitted to not liking rowing. Kai Langerfeld also did not row through his student years at Ballenas Secondary in Parksville. But he says he was working one day at Costco in Langford when a pressing thought about wanting to be an Olympic athlete suddenly popped into his head and wouldn鈥檛 leave. As a University of Victoria student, he joined the Vikes freshman rowing team that was coached by former UVic great Barney Williams, silver medallist at the 2004 Athens Olympics. The rest, as the saying goes, might be turning into history.
Kai Langerfeld began his international career by winning two silver medals at the 2011 Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.
鈥淭hat was more of a development team, but there are different goals this time [as sa国际传媒 sent its 鈥楢鈥� team for the home Toronto Pan Am Games],鈥� said the 28-year-old Islander.
鈥淚t [was] gold or nothing for us.鈥�
Mission accomplished.
Also part of the victorious Canadian eight were Martin Barakso of Nanaimo and Elk Lake rowers Will Dean, Mike Evans, Tim Schrijver, Julian Bahain and Jacob Koudys.
For Barakso, this is all the result of receiving the gift of a learn-to-row camp on Long Lake for his 12th birthday present. He liked it so much, he joined the Nanaimo Rowing Club and took to the sport avidly at Brentwood College, which has produced several Olympic rowers.
鈥淲ith all its rowing history, Brentwood College was a fantastic experience for four years,鈥� said Barakso, who now attends Princeton and rows in the Ivy League.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a lot of hard work, but I had not expected all this so quickly.鈥�
Which leads to the ultimate question about the Olympics next year in Rio.
鈥淚鈥檓 not thinking about it. If it actually happens, I鈥檒l think about,鈥� said Barakso.
Vikes-product Antje Von Seydlitz, part of the UVic athletic pipeline to the northern sa国际传媒 towns of Smithers and Terrace in several sports, also capped a two-gold medal Games by winning with the women鈥檚 quad Wednesday to add to her victory in the women鈥檚 double sculls. Elk Lake rower Rob Gibson, 2012 London Olympics silver-medallist in the eight, showed his versatility by taking silver Wednesday in the men鈥檚 singles behind Angel Fournier of Cuba.
In the Toronto Pan Am Games pool, 2013 world championships bronze-medallist Hilary Caldwell from the Swimming sa国际传媒 High Performance Centre-Victoria located at Saanich Commonwealth Place, won gold in the women鈥檚 200-metre backstroke.
Ryan Cochrane of Victoria, expected to dominate the men鈥檚 400 and 1,500 metres later in the week, earned a bronze medal Wednesday with the Canadian 4x200 freestyle relay team. Jeremy Bagshaw placed seventh in the men鈥檚 200-metre freestyle and fellow-Victorian Alec Page was ninth.
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