Local canoe slalom athlete set to compete in Junior World Championships in France

CHILLIWACK — Chilliwack local Michal Smiesko is paddling all the way to Europe after earning a spot on Canada’s National Team for canoe slalom last week.The Canadian Team Trials Kayaking Race was held on May 3 and 4 at the Tamihi Rapids, where Smiesko has been training since he was 11. He placed sixth in the Men’s Kayak Selection Race and third in the U18 category, after Ontario residents Daniel Parry and Tyler Gevaert. Smiesko is the only British Columbian in the junior roster