Delta Deas Rowing Club’s Tracy Van Asseldonk made an impressive debut on the international stage over the weekend competing at the 2018 Para Rowing International Regatta in Gavirate, Italy.
Van Asseldonk placed fourth overall in the PR1 W1x event. Twenty nations were represented at this event including multiple medalists from the 2016 Paralympic Games and 2017 World Rowing Championships.
The regatta offered an opportunity to test four Paralympic Games events as well as five new Para Rowing events that will be raced for the first time at the 2018 World Championships.
Gavirate was the first international regatta where all Canadian Para Rowers raced 2000m. The International Para Rowing race distance was changed following the 2016 Paralympic Games from 1000m to 2000m.
“Gavirate served as great opportunity to provide the program and crews with a clear indication as to where they rank on the international stage,” said RCA’s High Performance Director Iain Brambell. “There is an ongoing need for heightened training intensity to successfully compete against the world’s best at the 2018 World Championships in September.”
Back in January, Van Asseldonk, 33, was carded as a PR1 developing para athlete with Rowing Canada Aviron. She has been rowing with DDRC since 2014 — working with coach Julie Stevens, who pioneered the Para-rowing program in Delta.
