WA Paddlers Race in U23 World Champs

WA sprint canoe athletes Shannon Reynolds and Yale Steinepreis both reached A Finals at the 2018 U23 World Championships in Bulgaria.

The WA athletes were both members of the Australian women’s K4 500m crew that reached the final of the Olympic class event.

The Australians finished in eighth place, behind U23 World Champions Hungary.

Reynolds who was competing as a final year U23, also contested the A Final of the women’s K2 500m event, where she partnered Brianna Massie for ninth place. The K2 500m title was also won by Hungary.

At 20 years of age, Yale Steinepreis entered into the women’s K1 200m field, qualifying for the B Final where she claimed a fifth place finish.

The B Final was won by an Azerbaijan paddler, whilst very little separated Steinepreis and the remainder of the nine-strong field.

Paddle Australia’s National Pathways Manager David Foureur said the Australian team had competed strongly in Bulgaria.

“I don’t think there would be too many athletes who would be disappointed,” Foureur said.

We got into a lot of A finals, and narrowly missed winning B finals as well,” he said.

“We were just off the pace of a couple of A finals, but we are starting to knock on the door and I think things are starting to evolve through our junior ranks.”