Van Koeverden isn't comparing medal counts Flagbearer aims to do his best By Rob Longley, SUN MEDIA

BEIJING - Be it superstar swimmer Michael Phelps or Canadian greats of Summer Olympics past, Adam van Koeverden doesn’t measure himself against others.

When he’s in his kayak, paddle in hands, the focus is singular: To race the best and fastest that he can, which more often than not is as good as gold.

That said, when the Oakville kayaker takes to the water of the Shunyi Rowing and Canoe Course Friday for his first of two cracks at Olympic medals, he can set himself up to make history in his homeland.

A sweep of both the men’s k-1, 1,000 metres and Saturday’s k-1 500 metres would give van Koeverden a share of the most golds won by a Canadian athlete at a summer Games.

Coupled with the gold he captured in Athens four years ago, a double here would put him alongside the rowing duo of Marnie McBean and Kathleen Heddle with three.

“I knew it was the case, but it doesn’t really concern me,” van Koeverden said earlier this week when asked about the possibility. “Everybody races under different circumstances and I’m not about stacking my medals up to see who compares to who.

“(McBean) is a huge inspiration to me. I talk to her quite often for little tidbits if I’m feeling tired or down or unmotivated. She’s a good person to call to get a quick kick in the butt and remind you of why we are here.”

With wins in five of his six World Cup events this year and a pair of devastatingly easy scores in his first heat of each event here, it certainly wouldn’t be a shock if van Koeverden won both.

Getting a handle on which is his best shot at gold is a tricky issue, however. For the longest time, the 26-year-old has thought of the 1,000 as his best event, even though it was his bronze in Greece.

“I think it’s kind of irrelevant for me to consider at this point,” van Koeverden said. “I have different speeds on different days. Sometimes I’m feeling good in the 1,000, sometimes good in the 500. My results say I am probably more consistent in the 500, but I think that’s probably because there are more guys that are consistently world class in the 1,000.”

One of those is British paddler Tim Brabants, a longtime rival of van Koeverden’s and the only man to defeat him in a race this year.

“Adam is may main rival for medals and he is a tough challenge,” Brabants said. “I’m looking forward to racing him in the final, but nothing ever comes easy when you line up against him. He is as talented an athlete as you will see at these Games.”

So far, things have gone ideally for the Canadian flag-bearer. In his 500 heat, van Koeverden set his own world record and was equally strong in the 1,000, perhaps showing a better sense of pace than in the past.

“He’s a lot more mature and a lot more wiser,” said Mark Granger, the men’s national kayak coach. “I don’t think he’s going to go out like a nut like he did when he was younger.

“He’s been like that at every World Cup this year - he’s not emptying his tank early in the race. He gets super pumped up in races and just wants to go so telling him to slow down is a hard thing. But that’s where the maturity comes in.”