If you noticed a busier-than-usual Canada Day celebration week this year, you weren't imagining it.
642 athletes from 54 nations flocked to Lake Banook in Dartmouth for the 2026 ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships, which took place July 1-5 in the HRM, bringing their A-game to a series of canoe and kayak events that brought the best of the best against each other to fight for gold on Canadian waters.
With singles, doubles and relays across multiple distances for both canoe and kayak athletes, there was no shortage of action at the championships - and Saint Mary's athletes demanded attention throughout.
Alex Erith Ellwood, Brianna Smith, Duncan Giles and Ian Gaudet represented the university on the world stage -- each one a talented athlete chasing their goals on the water while pursuing their education right here on the East Coast.
Alex Erith Ellwood
Diploma in Engineering
Alex Erith Ellwood (Photo: ICF - Canada)
The championship event marked the fourth international competition for SMU Engineering's Alex Erith Ellwood, where he competed in the K2 500 meter, the K4 500 meter, and the mixed relay with fellow SMU engineering student Brianna Smith.
Alex qualified for worlds by placing Top 5 in Canada for the men's 500 meter at national tryouts earlier this year. No stranger to competition travel, it was a real treat to compete here at home.
"It's always cool to be able to go away and see other countries, but there's always a time difference and new surroundings to get used to. It was great to be at home and comfortable on our own lake."
Balancing his education with his travel schedule is no easy feat, but SMU profs have gone above and beyond every step of the way to make sure his goals are met on the water and in the classroom.
"I remember discussing my schedule with a prof in first year, and there was one calculus course that he recommended taking in the spring to accommodate my winter training camp. Little things like that make it easier to help balance everything."
Alex isn't slowing down anytime soon, as he immediately went on to the Canoe Sprint World Cup in Montreal on July 9-12, where he was able to get on the water with the Canadian senior men's team to launch the next chapter of his athletic career.
Brianna Smith
Diploma in Engineering
Brianna Smith (Photo: ICF - Canada)
Brianna Smith has been competing on the world stage since her late teens, competing at the ICF Olympic Hopes when she was 17 years old. In addition to pursuing her Diploma in Engineering at Saint Mary's and travelling internationally to compete, she spends her summers coaching younger athletes to get them ready for the U16 category, when athletes start competing nationally to make international teams.
With two previous world championships under her belt, competing in a third here at home was a chance to show her community exactly what she's made of:
"A bunch of the kids I coach were volunteering at the event or came to watch the races. That was a great experience for them, because they don't usually get to see their coaches race. It's cool for them to see what I do."
During the school year, Brianna pursues her engineering diploma and is a member of the Engineering Society, while coaching the masters group at her club -- all while prioritizing her own competition training.
"I went to SMU because of the smaller class sizes, so I could make deeper connections with my professors. When I had to miss classes to accommodate my training and competition schedule, it was easier to communicate with them."
Duncan Giles
BComm in Finance
Duncan Giles and team (Photo: ICF - Canada)
Entering his third year at Saint Mary's, Duncan is a recipient of the Sobey National Innovator Scholarship. When choosing a university, Duncan's goal was to pursue his business education while continuing to train at the national and international level, and SMU offered the flexibility he needed to thrive as a student-athlete.
That academic flexibility has been a game-changer for him, as during the winter months, he completes online courses while travelling for three-month training blocks away from home, supported by professors who understand the demands of high-performance sport.
"I really like the community here at Saint Mary's," says Giles. "Everybody feels important, and the professors are really flexible and understanding with my training schedule, which helps me balance all my responsibilities."
At the world championships on Lake Banook, Giles competed in the four-person 500-meter event, helping guide his boat to a strong fifth-place finish. He's looking forward to focusing on finance when he returns in the fall.
Duncan isn't the only world champion in his family. His dad, Stephen Giles, has multiple world championships under his belt in the same sport and received a Bronze Medal in the C-1 1000m event at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Ian Gaudet
BSc in Earth Science
Ian Gaudet (Photo: ICF - Canada)
"This was the first international competition I've gotten to do in Canada," says Earth Science student Ian Gaudet. "Usually we have to deal with rental boats that aren't our own. We have to deal with checking into hotels and long flights and dealing with the strain of jet lag and all that comes with international travel. So, to actually have the advantage of being at home and competing on our home lake was a big advantage for us."
Gaudet delivered impressive performances on the water, placing sixth in the world in K4 500-meter kayak event. Following the world championships here in Dartmouth, he competed at the historic Olympic Basin in Montreal -- the venue's first international event since the 1976 Summer Olympics.
"I've been training and racing at the Olympic Basin since I was quite young, so it was really cool to be able to race with the Maple Leaf on my chest on home waters."
Training for national kayak teams is a year-round commitment; when local lakes freeze over in the winter, he travels south to San Diego with the Canadian National Team to keep paddling, and the supports available in the Faculty of Science allow Ian to continue pursuing his academic goals while maintaining his competitive edge on the water.
Read more about Ian on the ICF website.
A World without limits, for athletes and beyond
Halifax is home to nationally acclaimed aquatics clubs, providing a rich environment for former and future Olympians to get the experience they need to make waves in the world. Saint Mary's provides a space for these athletes to do what they do best -- on the water and in the classroom.
