Katie Vincent is still pinching herself whenever she is introduced as an Olympic champion.
It’s a status that she has yet to fully get her head around ever since that magical day in Paris nine months ago.
The race. The noise. The winning moment.
All those experiences and emotions will live long in the memory for Vincent who can now call herself an Olympic gold medallist.
“It's hard to describe that feeling,” said Vincent who clinched the women’s canoe single 200m title in Paris.
“It's still hard to imagine that is who I am now.
“So I'm still processing it all and just enjoying it.
“Finally achieving that in my career was so exciting and getting to do it in Paris with all my family there was even more exciting.
“It still feels like yesterday and I think I've just been riding the high ever since.”
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The difference between gold and silver that day was just one hundredth of a second.
It took an Olympic best time of 44.12 to seal top spot for Vincent who delivered the race of her life to beat defending champion Nevin Harrison of the United States.
“It can’t get much closer than that,” said Vincent.
“It was such an incredible race so hats off to all the girls and to Nevin, especially.
“It’s definitely one of my proudest moments.
“As a team, we were really locked in for the Olympics.
“We took it one race at a time and one opportunity at a time.
“We just tried to enjoy the moment.
“When I raced in Tokyo, there were still a lot of restrictions due to the pandemic.
“So I had never really experienced such a loud crowd with the 10,000 people that were in Paris.
“Even beyond that, knowing that there were so many people watching from home around the world was a huge positive for us.
“I knew many Canadians were up early watching that because it would have been like 6am or 7am in the morning
“It was exciting knowing that people were tuning in from home and then also having the crowd there in Paris.
“I don't think I've ever heard something so loud in my life.”
As Vincent put it, the 29-year-old has been “riding the high ever since” with multiple guest appearances at major events in Toronto.
Before Paris 2024, Vincent was an eight-time world champion and an Olympic bronze medallist.
But with a gold medal now to her name, Vincent and her beloved sport have been thrust into the limelight in Canada.
Welcomed onto big areas as Olympic champion, Vincent threw the first pitch at a Toronto Blue Jays match, dropped the first puck at a Toronto Maple Leafs fixture and was courtside for a Toronto Raptors game.
“I think I've been to almost every Toronto sports team that's available,” said Vincent.
“It’s been pretty cool to just enjoy that, to share those experiences and to highlight our sport in my community.
“I think it is the best part.
“I was also one of Toronto Life’s Rising Stars which was pretty cool.
“It’s just nice to have our sport getting the credit that I think it deserves.
“In Mississauga – the city where I am from – there are three major canoe clubs.
“I’m using these opportunities to highlight that in Toronto but also across Canada as well.
“I’m getting to share that medal and that moment with as many Canadians as possible so I think it’s incredibly positive.
“There are so many young girls that might not even paddle but are just excited to see an Olympic champion and we can encourage them to do their sport.
“It’s been a pretty incredible journey and I’ve just been really grateful for every opportunity I’ve had to reach our community and keep shining a life on our sport.”
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Her victory in Paris was historic. Not only was it Canada’s first Olympic title in canoeing in 24 years after Adam van Koeverden triumphed at Athens 2004, but it was also the country’s first gold for a woman in the sport.
Providing opportunities for women and girls to participate in sport is something that is close to Vincent’s heart.
“In North America, there is a huge emergence of so many different women’s leagues,” said Vincent.
“The Women’s Soccer League just started in Canada and the Women’s Hockey League is taking off so it’s a big conversation right now in our country and in North America.
“That’s why keeping our Olympic sport in the forefront of these conversations is also really important.
“Maybe I’m only on TV every four years but it’s important to keep a presence and remind people that canoe clubs are just in your neighbourhood like hockey clubs, soccer clubs and athletics clubs are.
“The promotion of sport in general and physical activity for girls, keeping them more active throughout their lives is really important.”
Since Paris 2024, Vincent has also been elected as a member of the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Commission and finally completed her universities studies.
After 10 years, Vincent secured a Bachelor of Arts degree in Kinesiology and Health Science at York University in Toronto.
“I started in September 2014 and I ended in April 2025,” said Vincent.
“I don't think they're meant to take that long.
“But because of our winters in Canada we have to go down south and then our summers are spent in Europe for a lot of the time.
“So I've just been taking my time with it.
“I’ve been well supported by my school so I’ve been able to finish this off, which I'm really happy about.
“I'd love to continue to be involved in sport after my athletic career, so I'm just trying to find the right pathway for me in that regard.”
As well as capturing Olympic gold in Paris, Vincent also sealed bronze in the women’s canoe double 500m, matching her effort in Tokyo three years earlier.
This time, it was with Sloan MacKenzie as China’s Shixiao Xu and Sun Mengya continued their dominance in the event to take gold.
Vincent says they are determined to chase down the Chinese pair but insists this year’s focus will be on the C1.
“I think this year we’re taking a step back,” said Vincent.
“I’ve been pretty much grinding away on the highest level of the sport since I was 18 or 19.
“I am maybe going to focus a little bit more on C1 this year and then just build up that C2 for LA28.
“Right now, we’re just having no stress this year and just planning more of a long-term development into the next Olympic Games.”
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