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Honoured to be Canada's flag bearer for the Beijing 2008 Olympic opening ceremonies, Adam van Koeverden beat his own world record in the K-1 500 with a time of one minute and 35.554 seconds. He finished with a silver medal in the 500m race.

Adam van Koeverden became one of Canada's brightest stars during his first Olympic appearance in 2004. He became the country's first double medallist in years, winning a gold in the K-1 500 m and a bronze in the K-1 1000 m. He was chosen to be Canada's flag bearer at the closing ceremonies and was later awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's top athlete of 2004.

The sprint kayaker has dominated the World Cup circuit over the past four years, winning the overall title each year from 2004 through 2007, and winning the 2007 World Championships in record time. He has won 21 World Cup gold medals, and is also 49-time Canadian champion.

Off the water, van Koeverden is active with the David Suzuki Foundation, and is an athlete ambassador for the athlete driven, humanitarian organization Right to Play, a group that comes to the aid of disadvantaged youth with sport and activity.

He has spoken on behalf of the World Wildlife Fund and at many schools on the importance of healthy and active living, the importance of community involvement, the environment and his experiences as a Canadian Olympian. Adam graduated valedictorian of his class at McMaster University, and has a Honours Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology.

Of all the doors now open to Adam, he notes the most important are the doors of schools, and sees his opportunity to affect positive change in Canada's youth as his "most rewarding obligation" as a speaker. Adam also enjoys relating his experiences to audiences in the corporate world, noting the "multitude of parallels between business and sport."