2016 Rio Olympics - Canoe Sprint - Preliminary - Men's Canoe Single (C1) 1000m - Heats - Lagoa Stadium - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 15/08/2016. Mark Oldershaw (CAN) of Canada in Heat 3.MURAD SEZER/Reuters
Adam van Koeverden thought he said his final goodbyes last year.
The Canadian kayak legend shook hands and swapped stories with competitors and friends from across the globe at the world championships in September, convinced his time in the sport was drawing to a close.
The owner of four Olympic medals, van Koeverden even went so far as to tell his coaches he was done.
But something rekindled the flame within the 34-year-old — it was "a personal decision that required convincing" — and pushed him to the Rio Olympics.
Van Koeverden advanced from the heats of the men's 1,000-metre race on a sweltering Monday morning at Lagoa Stadium, but couldn't recover from a tough start in the semifinals, winding up sixth and out of contention for a medal.
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"Am I satisfied with my race? No. Am I satisfied with my performance? No," he said. "I'm satisfied with my preparation and I'm so grateful for another opportunity to race for Canada."
A sometimes brash athlete who was among the first Canadians to dare say he was at the Games to win, not just compete, when he first arrived on the scene in Athens some 12 years ago, the Oakville, Ont., product was in a reflective mood as talked about why coming back meant so much.
"Because it was on my terms. I made a decision to kayak," said van Koeverden. "I've never really made a conscious decision to race. It's always been my obligation, my thing, my lot in life, my opportunity, my job.
"And this year it was just my choice."
While he will race in Tuesday's B final, Monday was essentially his Olympic swan song, the closing act of a career that included a gold and a bronze in 2004 before back-to-back silver medals in 2008 and 2012.
"You get to write a storybook, but you don't get to write your history," said van Koeverden, sometimes pausing to collect his thoughts. "For sure it's hard. I don't know what the next chapter of my life is going to involve. But I can be proud and I can be grateful, and those are the most important things."
It was also a disappointing day for another Canadian Olympic medallist on the polluted water at Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, a stunning venue in the heart of this bustling and chaotic city that's accented by the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue towering overhead.
Mark Oldershaw, who won bronze in 2012 in the men's 1,000-metre canoe race, also qualified for the semis, but like van Koeverden failed to make the A final after a fourth-place finish.
"You want to be in a final," said the 33-year-old from Burlington, Ont. "That's why you come to regattas, to be in that race. That was a good race, but the semifinal is not where you want to come up short. The whole year you think about the final."
Oldershaw, a third generation Olympian who uncharacteristically faded over the final 100 metres, said it was a deeper field than he faced four years ago.
"It just made it that much tougher to crack the final," he said. "I still feel like if I lined up in the final I'd have a shot at a medal. I think that's how deep the field is. I just wish I could be part of it."
Meanwhile, Oakville's KC Fraser and Genevieve Orton of Lake Echo, N.S., didn't make the final in the 500-metre women's double kayak event after finishing fifth in their semi. And in the women's 200-metre kayak, Quebec City's Andreanne Langlois will also have to settle for the B side after a fifth-place finish in the semis.
But the day was really about van Koeverden.
Portugal's Frenando Pimenta, who finished second in their heat and will compete for a medal on Tuesday, walked over to him on the dock after the race and embraced the veteran Canadian before sharing a quiet word.
"He said, 'You were my example,"' said van Koeverden. "It means maybe I changed the sport a little bit."
Before van Koeverden started winning races with lightening quick starts — he finished on the podium at the worlds eight times, with two gold medals — paddlers didn't force their way in front of the pack early, instead laying in wait for someone else to make the first move.
Canadian coach Scott Oldershaw, who represented Canada at the 1984 Olympics and is Mark's dad, said the opposite is now the norm.
"He influenced the sport huge," said Scott Oldershaw. "There are so many guys now doing what he did — just going out fast as they can and hanging on. It's a different game."
The senior Oldershaw also didn't hold back when touching on what van Koeverden, an athlete he's coached since 2002, has meant to Canada on and off the water.
"An inspiration to so many people," said Oldershaw. "He's inspired people in a lot of different sports other than canoe-kayak. Not only the four medals, but his thoughts on life and his thoughts on competition."
Van Koeverden seems like a man with no regrets. He knew it would be a challenge to make the final in Brazil, and he's thankful he gave himself the opportunity to be in Rio and enjoy one last ride.
"Sports is about a hell of a lot more than winning kayak races for me," he said. "Getting to watch our women kick serious ass, watching Andre De Grasse ... I've never been prouder to be Canadian. I know this is a big departure from who I was in 2004.
"Maybe the thing that I'm taking away from my entire career is that I've learned a hell of a lot."