SZEGED, Hungary -- Adam van Koeverden of Oakville, Ont. jerseys from china ., Mark Oldershaw of Burlington, Ont., as well as the mens C-2 500 and C-4 1,000 all qualified for finals for Canada on Thursday at the world canoe and kayak championships. Meanwhile in the Paracanoe events for paddlers with a physical disability, Canada struck gold twice with Christine Selinger of Regina and Christine Gauthier of Pointe-Claire, Que. Para canoe races count as official events at the world championships. The event serves as the first round of Olympic qualifying. In the mens K-1 1,000, van Koeverden, a three-time Olympic medallist and a seven-time world championship medallist, won his opening round and semifinal heats. In the semis he finished in three minutes 27.693 seconds, almost three seconds faster than his closest pursuer. In the mens C-1 1,000, Oldershaw showed why he reached the podium at both World Cup events this season winning his semifinal heat in 3:53.17 for the third fastest time overall. In the C-2 500, Thomas Hall of Pointe-Claire, Que., and Ben Russell of Dartmouth, N.S., won a close semifinal over German pair Peter Kretschmer and Kurt Kuschela to gain a berth in the final. Finally in the C-4 1,000, Hall, Russell, Paul Bryant of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Ian Mortimer of Ottawa took the semifinal by almost three full seconds over an American crew. All four finals are on Friday. In Paracanoe, Selinger took the gold in the V1 (trunks and arms disability) 200-metre, finishing in 1:11.882, with Brit Gottschalk of Germany second in 1:13.490 and Tami Hetke of the U.S., third in 1:14.660. A record 74 entries for the Para canoe events are on hand at these world championships. Selinger added a silver in the TA K-1 200 as well. Gauthier took gold in the K-1 200 LTA (disability in legs, trunk and arms) event in 56.425 ,well ahead of her closest pursuers. Dave Waters of Dartmouth was ninth in the mens V1 200, Suleiman Muse of Toronto sixth in the mens A K-1 200. wholesale jerseys . The executive board of the Major League Baseball Players Association voted unanimously Tuesday to appoint Clark to replace Michael Weiner, who died Nov. wholesale nfl jerseys . Jayson Werth and Denard Span had three hits each for Washington, which had lost 6 of 7. Previously slumping, Washingtons offence has 14 runs and 30 hits in its last two games. Strasburg (4-4) allowed two unearned runs, though his error led to them, and six hits.SOCHI, Russia – It was the third game of the Olympics for the Canadians in Torino, Italy when the wall of Martin Gerber emerged in shocking fashion. Gerber stopped each and every one of the 49 shots peppered by Team Canada en route to a highly improbable 2-0 victory for Switzerland. In a two-week tournament like the Olympics, goaltending performances of that caliber have the potential to shock, rattle and awe even the most powerful foes, hindering medal hopes with save after unlikely save. Eight years after Gerber shook up what was an ultimately doomed 2006 Canadian bid – they finished seventh – lies another Swiss goaltender in Jonas Hiller capable of doing the same, if not more, at the Sochi Olympics. "Every year at a tournament like this you need a good goalkeeper to have success," said Andreas Ambuhl, a winger for Switzerland and teammate of Hiller for years with Davos in the Swiss League, "especially a team like us." Switzerland is still buzzing from a silver medal finish at the 2013 World Championships – the now 39-year-old Gerber teaming with Calgary netminder Reto Berra – and though they have no grand illusions about their chances at these Olympics, possession of a goaltender like Hiller poses at least the possibility of a little unlikely noise. Hiller is back to top form in Anaheim after a couple bumpy seasons punctuated by injuries. The 31-year-old stopped 36 of 38 shots in his final game before the Olympics and owns a .943 save percentage in his last five starts. "Theres no doubt," said Swiss head coach Sean Simpson, a Canadian and former Chicago Blackhawks draft pick who has yet to actually coach Hiller during his four-year run ass bench boss of Switzerlands national program. nfl jerseys china. "Any of the goalies, they stand on their head they can make a difference in a one-game scenario thats for sure." Simpson would consider a trip to the quarterfinals as success for his squad, which sits in a group with Sweden, Latvia and the Czech Republic. In the past 50 years the Swiss have never finished higher than sixth which they managed during that unlikely 06 run with Gerber at the forefront. Sizzling efforts in goal have the potential to alter the face of the Olympics, both for powerhouses like Canada, who must decide between Carey Price and Roberto Luongo, and lesser limelight squads like the Swiss. Its why Finland still holds dark-horse medal potential despite losing potential captain Mikko Koivu and second centre Valteri Filpulla to injury. With Tuukka Rask, Antii Niemi and Kari Lehtonen as sterling options between the pipes, the Finns have the goods in goal to rattle more than a few cages. It was during those same 06 Olympics in Torino that then-Flyers goaltender and Finnish product Antero Niittymaki carried his country to a silver medal – they fell to Sweden, who was led by Henrik Lundqvist – leading the tournament with a mighty .951 save percentage. One need only remember the heroic efforts of Dominik Hasek in 1998. Hasek allowed just six goals in Nagano – posting a crazy .971 save percentage – willing the Czech Republic to their first and only gold medal. "Theres going to be lots of strong goalies here," said Simpson. "Jonas, hes got a great personality and hes going to give the team a lot of confidence when hes in net there for sure." wholesale jerseys ' ' '
