| U.S. Qualifies Two Slalom Boats for Beijing Olympics |
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Monday, October 8, 2007 |
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Scott Parsons of the United States rounds
a gate at the 2007 ICF World Championships
in Brazil. His 7th-place finish, along with a top finish by Ashley Nee, qualified the U.S. for
two spots at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. |
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – United States slalom paddlers Scott Parsons (Bethesda, Md.) and Ashley Nee (Washington, D.C.) each secured a slalom berth for the U.S. in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games with their top performances at September’s ICF Slalom World Championships in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil.
The U.S. has now qualified a total of two whitewater slalom boats and two flatwater sprint boats for the Beijing Olympic Games. U.S. athletes still must qualify individually for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team through the Sprint and Slalom Olympic Trials in April. |
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In whitewater slalom, Parsons brought home the top U.S. performance at the World Championships with 7th-place finish in the men’s single kayak to secure a U.S. berth in the Beijing Games. Parsons clocked a combined time of 191.50 seconds for his semifinals and finals runs on the Itaipu Whitewater Canal, placing him ahead of 2006 World Champion, Stefano Cipressi of Italy and just 2.16 seconds out of the medals.
“Going into the World Championships, I felt that between the three U.S. entries, Brett Heyl, James Wade and myself, that we had a very good chance of qualifying,” said Parsons, who finished 6th at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. “When we were done, it was a relief to check that one off the list. At this point everything is now geared toward making the 2008 team.”
Nee, who at 18 was paddling in her first senior World Championship event, secured a spot for the U.S. in the Beijing Games with a 23rd-place overall finish in the women’s single kayak. Her 120.52-second semifinal run helped the U.S. finish among the top 14 nations in the event and secure the Olympic Games berth.
“I was pretty nervous before hand – my first qualification run was the scariest thing that I have ever done – my first World Championships and an Olympic spot on the line,” said Nee. “The coaches were telling me that I had a chance to qualify our country. The achievement was an awesome feeling. You can’t ask for more.”
In whitewater slalom competition at the Beijing Olympic Games, four events will be contested; men’s and women’s single kayak and men’s single canoe and men’s double canoe.
The U.S. will have additional opportunities to qualify for Olympic slots at the U.S. Olympic Trials for slalom, April 25 - 27 in Charlotte, N.C. The event doubles as the Continental Olympic qualifier and Pan American Championships.
In flatwater sprint qualification, top performances by U.S. athletes at August’s 2007 ICF Flatwater Racing World Championships in Duisburg, Germany, have earned Olympic Games berths for the U.S. in the men’s and women’s single kayak events. |
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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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