| U.S. Slalom Paddlers Conclude World Championships in Men’s Double Canoe and Women’s Single Kayak |
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| Sunday, September 23, 2007 |
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FOZ DO IGUACU, Brazil – United States paddlers wrapped-up competition on Sunday at the 2007 ICF Slalom World Championships on the Itaipu Whitewater Canal in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil with a 21st and 23rd overall finish in the men’s double canoe and a 23rd and 39th overall finish is the women’s single kayak.
In the men’s double canoe, U.S. paddlers Rick Powell (Parkesburg, Pa.) and Casey Eichfeld (Drums, Pa.) finished their semifinal run with a time of 119.46 seconds including four 2-second penalties for 21st overall, while U.S. paddlers Scott McCleskey (Sylva, N.C.) and Austin Crane (Atlanta, Ga.) ran the course in 120.83 seconds. The time included two 2-second penalties for 23rd. The top 10 advanced to the final.
The event was won by Pavel Hochschorner and Peter Hochschorner of Slovakia. The duo finished with combined semifinals and finals run time of 206.81 seconds. They upset 2006 world champions Jaroslav Volf and Andrej Stepanek of the Czech Republic who finished fifth. Pierre Luquet and Christoph Luquet of France finished second with a time of 214.83 seconds. Andrea Benetti and Erik Masoero of Italy finished third in 215.34 seconds.
In the women’s single kayak, Ashley Nee (Washington, D.C.) finished 23rd overall and Caroline Queen (Washington, D.C.) finished 39th. In her semifinal run, Nee recorded a 120.52-second effort including two 2-second penalties, while Queen recorded a 185.81-second run that included three 2-second penalties. The top 10 advanced to the final.
The event was won by Germany’s Jennifer Bongardt with an overall time of 210.05 seconds. Elena Kaliska of Slovakia was second, just 0.94 seconds back and Stepanka Hilgertova of the Czech Republic was third with an overall time of 211.55 seconds.
On Saturday, U.S. paddler Scott Parsons (Bethesda, Md.) finished 7th in the final of the men’s single kayak. The result, which secured a spot for the U.S. in the event at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, was the top performance for U.S. paddlers at the 2007 Slalom World Championships.
Other performances by U.S. athletes advancing into the semifinals and finals rounds include Brett Heyl (Charlotte, NC), who finished 37th overall in the men’s single kayak. U.S. single canoe paddler Benn Fraker (Peachtree City, Ga.) finished 36th place overall. In team competition, Fraker, Jeff Larimer (Atlanta, Ga.) and Tad Dennis (Peachtree City, Ga.) combined for a fourth-place finish in the men’s single canoe team event.
In the women’s single kayak team event, Nee, Zuzana Vanha (Charlotte, N.C.), and Queen finished 9th overall. In the men’s single kayak team event, Parsons, Heyl and James Wade (Boise, Idaho) combined for 13th-place.
Complete results are available at http://cbca.org.br/foz2007/english/index.php
About Slalom Canoe/Kayak
In slalom canoe/kayak racing, paddlers navigate through pairs of poles called "gates" through a course of approximately 300-meters, set-up over challenging rapids, waves, eddies and currents. If the paddler touches one of the poles or misses a gate altogether, penalty times are added to the time achieved on the run. |
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About USA Canoe/Kayak
USA Canoe/Kayak is a non-profit membership organization promoting canoe and kayak racing in the United States. A member of the United States Olympic Committee, Charlotte, N.C. based USACK is the national governing body for the Olympic sports of Flatwater Sprint and Whitewater Slalom and official U.S. federation of the International Canoe Federation. Other paddling sports sanctioned by USACK include Marathon, Rodeo, Wildwater, Kayak Polo, Outrigger, and Dragon Boat. USA Canoe/Kayak’s National Team Sponsor is Bank of America and its National Team Apparel Sponsor is NIKE. To learn more about USACK and its other sponsors and suppliers, visit www.USACK.org.
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