Adam Joseph van Koeverden (born January 29, 1982) is a Canadian
sprint kayaker and politician. He is an Olympic gold medallist in the K-1 500m category (2004) and a two-time world champion in K-1 500 (2007) and K-1 1000 (2011), winning four Olympic and eight world championship medals. His home club is the
Burloak Canoe Club in
Oakville, Ontario
Oakville is a town in Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Lake Ontario between Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton. At its Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census population of 213,759, it is List of tow ...
.
In the
2019 Canadian federal election
The 2019 Canadian federal election was held on October 21, 2019. Member of Parliament (Canada), Members of the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons were elected to the 43rd Canadian Parliament. In keeping with the Fixed election dates in ...
, Van Koeverden was first elected to the
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The House of Commons is ...
, representing the electoral district of
Milton
Milton may refer to:
Names
* Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname)
** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet
* Milton (given name)
** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...
as a member of the
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...
caucus.
Early life and education
He was born in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
to a Dutch father, Joe van Koeverden, and a Hungarian mother, Beata Bokrossy. Van Koeverden attended St. John Catholic Elementary School in Oakville, Ontario, graduating in 1996. He then proceeded to go to
St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Secondary School also located in Oakville. He plays guitar.
Van Koeverden is a graduate of
McMaster University
McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical Ga ...
's Bachelor of Science Kinesiology program in Hamilton, Ontario. He graduated in June 2007 as
valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution.
The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...
of his class.
Career
Canoe sprinting
He won a bronze medal in the K-1 1000 m at the 1999 world junior championships in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
, Croatia, and then became world junior marathon champion in 2000. His first success as a senior came with a silver medal at the
2003 world championships in
Gainesville, Georgia
The city of Gainesville is the county seat of Hall County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 42,296. Because of its large number of poultry processing plants, it is often called the "Poultry Capital of t ...
, in the men's K-1 1000 m event. At the
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
Van Koeverden won two medals, including a gold in the K-1 500 m and a bronze in the K-1 1000 m. He was
Canada's flag bearer at the closing ceremonies and was later awarded the
Lou Marsh Trophy
The Northern Star Award, formerly known as the Lou Marsh Trophy, the Lou Marsh Memorial Trophy and Lou Marsh Award, is a trophy that is awarded annually to Canada's top athlete, professional or amateur. It is awarded by a panel of journalists, wit ...
as Canada's top athlete of 2004.
In 2005, Van Koeverden won two medals at the
2005 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 2005 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Zagreb, Croatia, in August 2005.
Men race as individuals, pairs and quads over 200m, 500m and 1000m in both Canoe (Canadian) (C) and Kayak (K) events, giving a total of 18 gold medals. ...
in Zagreb: a silver in the K-1 1000 m and a bronze in the K-1 500 m. At the
2006 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 2006 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Szeged, Hungary, from August 17 to 20 2006. This was the second time the Hungarian city had hosted the championships, doing so previously in 1998.
Men race as individuals, pairs and qua ...
in
Szeged
Szeged ( , ; see also #Etymology, other alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat ...
, Hungary, Van Koeverden finished fourth in both the K-1 500 m and 1000 m finals. At the 2006 Canadian Sprint Canoe Championships in
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina () is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 C ...
, he won five gold medals (K-1 1000 m, K-2 1000 m, K-4 1000 m, K-4 200 m, and
War Canoe
A war canoe is a watercraft of the canoe type designed and outfitted for warfare, and which is found in various forms in many world cultures. In modern times, such designs have become adapted as a sport, and "war canoe" can mean a type of flatwat ...
), and two silver medals (K-1 200 m and K-2 200 m).
Van Koeverden had great success on the World Cup circuit in 2007, going undefeated over both 500 m and 1000 m in three competitions. At the
2007 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in
Duisburg
Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...
, Van Koeverden won the gold medal in the K-1 500 m and the silver medal in the K-1 1000 m.
Van Koeverden beat his own world record in the K-1 500 m at the
2008 Beijing Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...
with a time of 1:35.554. He finished eighth place in the 1000m race, and finished with a silver medal in the K-1 500 m race. Originally, he had been listed as bronze medalist, until the scoreboard was corrected to indicate he had finished second. Van Koeverden had led most of the way from the start, but was overtaken by the Australian winner
Ken Wallace at the finish line, with British bronze medallist
Tim Brabants
Jules Timothy Brabants MBE (born 23 January 1977) is a British sprint kayaker who has competed since the late 1990s. Competing in four Summer Olympics, he won three medals with one gold (2008: K-1 1000 m) and two bronzes (2000: K-1 1000 m, 200 ...
ending in a photo finish with him.
In the leadup to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Van Koeverden was named
flag bearer
A standard-bearer, also known as a flag-bearer is a person (soldier or civilian) who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as a f ...
for the
Canadian Olympic team at the
opening ceremony
An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event. , making him one of the few athletes to carry Canada's flag twice at the Olympics. To celebrate the success of the hometown hero, on October 17, 2008, Oakville Mayor
Rob Burton and local councillors hosted a meet and greet session. A ceremonial street name unveiling to honor Van Koeverden preceded the event. Adam van Koeverden Street, which is currently known as Water Street, is located near his Oakville harbour home club, the Burloak Canoe Club.
At the
2009 world championships in
Dartmouth, he won a bronze medal in the K-1 1000 m event. The following year, he won another bronze, only this time it was in the K-1 500 m event. Continuing to build on these achievements at the world's, Van Koeverden went to the
2011 world championships competing in the K-1 1000 m, where he finally won gold.
At the
2012 London Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
he won the silver medal in the
same event, while Norwegian
Eirik Verås Larsen
Eirik Verås Larsen (born 26 March 1976 in Flekkefjord) is a Norwegian sprint kayaker who has competed internationally since the early 1990s. He has participated in three Summer Olympics, and has won a complete set of medals (gold: 2004 K-1 ...
won gold. At the
2016 Rio Olympics
)
, nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams)
, athletes = 11,238
, events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines)
, opening = 5 August 2016
, closing = 21 August 2016
, opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer
, cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...
he finished first in the B final, placing ninth overall.
Politics
On October 4, 2018, Van Koeverden announced he would be seeking the nomination of the
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...
in the riding of
Milton
Milton may refer to:
Names
* Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname)
** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet
* Milton (given name)
** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...
to be a candidate in the
2019 Canadian federal election
The 2019 Canadian federal election was held on October 21, 2019. Member of Parliament (Canada), Members of the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons were elected to the 43rd Canadian Parliament. In keeping with the Fixed election dates in ...
. Van Koeverden won the Liberal nomination on January 20, 2019, and won the Liberal seat in Milton on October 21, 2019, defeating the incumbent, Conservative Party deputy leader
Lisa Raitt
Lisa Sarah MacCormack Raitt (born May 7, 1968) is a former Canadian politician who served as a Cabinet of Canada, federal Cabinet minister and Member of Parliament (Canada), member of Parliament (MP) from 2008 to 2019. A member of the Conservativ ...
, taking over 51% of the vote to Raitt's 36%.
In the
2021 federal election, Van Koeverden received over 51% of the vote defeating challenger Nadeem Akbar who carried just over 33% of the vote.
In 2022, following the
Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
, Van Koeverden was one of the 313 Canadians banned from entering Russia because of his support for Ukraine.
Also in 2022, Van Koeverden told an Ontario born New Zealand school teacher to "F--- off" during a heated exchange on Canada's covid vaccine policy. Van Koeverden apologized indirectly for the sleight of tongue.
Electoral record
See also
*
List of Canadian sports personalities
The following is a list of Canadians, Canadian sports personalities.
Olympic athletes
*Alex Baumann, Greater Sudbury, Sudbury, swimmer
*Josh Binstock (born 1981), volleyball player
*Patrick Chan, Ottawa
*Victor Davis, Guelph
*Andre De Grasse, ...
References
External links
*
Adam van Koeverden on Real ChampionsCanoe09.ca profileCanoeKayak Canada profile*
*
Official website of Adam van Koeverden*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koeverden, Adam van
21st-century Canadian politicians
1982 births
Canadian male canoeists
Canadian people of Dutch descent
Canadian people of Hungarian descent
Canadian sportsperson-politicians
Canoeists from Toronto
Canoeists at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Canoeists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Canoeists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Canoeists at the 2015 Pan American Games
Canoeists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in kayak
Liberal Party of Canada MPs
Living people
Lou Marsh Trophy winners
McMaster University alumni
Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario
Olympic bronze medalists for Canada
Olympic canoeists of Canada
Olympic gold medalists for Canada
Olympic medalists in canoeing
Olympic silver medalists for Canada
Pan American Games bronze medalists for Canada
Pan American Games medalists in canoeing
Sportspeople from Milton, Ontario
Sportspeople from Oakville, Ontario
Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games