Canadian paddlers Connor Fitzpatrick, Michelle Russell, Riley Melanson advance to Olympic semis

Canada's paddlers continued to shine at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, with three more boats advancing to their respective semifinals.

Connor Fitzpatrick qualified directly in the men's canoe single 1,000-metre sprint event, while fellow Nova Scotia natives Michelle Russell and Riley Melanson made it through the quarterfinals in the women's kayak single 500-metre sprint.

Dartmouth's Fitzpatrick posted the second-fastest time in the fourth of five heats, clocking three minutes 50.79 seconds at Vaires-Sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.

The 26-year-old, who was ninth-fastest overall among the field of 25, will compete for a shot at a medal on Friday at 5:30 a.m. ET. Fitzpatrick needs to finish within the top four in the first of two semifinal heats to reach Final A.

The semifinals will also feature the Czech Republic's Martin Fuksa, who holds the world-best mark of 3:42.38 from 2018, and Romania's Catalin Chirila, who set an Olympic best during the morning heats (3:44.75).

Fitzpatrick finished 14th in the event at the Tokyo Games in 2021. He is a two-time world champion in the mixed 500-metre event with Olympic bronze medallist Katie Vincent of Mississauga, Ont.

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Melanson, also from Dartmouth, and Fall River's Russell advanced later Wednesday after placing within the top five of their respective quarterfinals. They were unable to secure direct semifinal berths earlier in the day. 

Russell finished second in the opening quarterfinal heat with a time of 1:49.79, the fifth-fastest overall out of 20 kayakers, while Melanson took third spot in fourth and final heat in 1:50.16, good for sixth-fastest in the field.

The first-time Olympians will compete in the semifinals on Saturday