WAIS Pair Miss Out on Semis at Slalom World Champs
WAIS canoeing athletes Robin Jeffery and Kynan Maley have endured a difficult start to their World Championship campaign, after the pair missed out on the semi-finals of the men’s C2 slalom event in Bratislava.
After some extreme weather conditions had delayed the start of the competition in Slovakia, Jeffery and Maley commenced their 2011 Worlds schedule on the Friday, with a difficult run placing the pair 23rd, which wasn’t enough to progress through to the semi-final stage.
The WAIS scholarship holders will however get another opportunity to make an impression on the Bratislava course in the C1 event, with both qualifying to represent Australia in the discipline.
Jeffery is the current national champion, whilst Maley has shown some impressive form in the second part of 2011 through the world cup circuit.
In other news from the World Championships:
Australia’s Jessica Fox was the lone qualifier for the semi-finals of the Canoe/Kayak Slalom World Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia on Friday.
After two days of high winds that wrecked any chance of competition on the first two scheduled days, Fox qualified for the semi-finals of the Women’s K1 in 23rd position.
The Penrith paddler’s first run was her best, in 103.37s, but was spoilt by four penalty points, and her second run of 104.36 was enough to get her through, 8.22 seconds behind heat winner Maialen Chourraut of Spain, silver medallist at the 2009 World Championships.
Fox’s joy at qualifying was contrasted with heartbreak for Lismore’s Ros Lawrence who missed out on qualifying by 0.09secs.
Lawrence finished in 31st place, with the top 30 going through to the next round.
Her time of 105.40 was just behind Spain’s Jone Otano.
Sydney’s Sarah Grant also failed to make the semi-finals in 34th place.
Fox’s Penrith club teammate Will Forsythe also shared the disappointment of missing qualification by a narrow margin.
He was pipped into 41st place by an agonising 0.23secs, with his best time of 92.94 just behind Great Britain’s Huw Swetnam.
The top 40 qualified for the semi-finals of the men’s K1.
Melbourne’s Warwick Draper finished in 49th place, and Forsythe’s club mate Jaxon Merritt came 63rd in the 110-athlete field for the Men’s K1.