It was an absolute privilege to attend the Lee Valley selection race weekend reporting for Sportscene. Here is the full race 4 report and selection series summary on the Sportscene website.
The full article with results and points is available now on the Sportscene website .
David Florence sets the pace at Lee Valley for GB 2013 team selection
Selection for the Great Britain canoe slalom team continued today at Lee Valley in Hertfordshire, where more than 1,000 tickets have been sold to the weekend races. David Florence, this time in C1 in which he won a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics again demonstrated his mastery of this water with an impressive run on the Lee Valley White Water Centre course. This event follows two weeks after the first two selection events at the Holme Pierrepont artificial slalom course in West Bridgford, Nottingham. The athletes racing for selection to the Great Britain senior and U23 teams are ranked at the end based on points from their best three results from the four races. The fourth and last selection race is on a tricky new course at Lee Valley tomorrow (Sunday April 28th). In many classes there is still much to play for and the paddlers wil again be aiming for fast and clean runs.
Scotland’s Fiona Pennie now living close to Lee Valley winner of race 3
It was great to see Fiona Pennie close to her best form with a commanding second run to lift her to win at Lee Valley and secure two wins from the three selection races so far this month. It was in a new boat to which she has had only one week to get accustomed; successfully clearly! These selection races determine the senior paddlers (3 boats per class) that will be eligible to compete at the World Championships in Prague in September as well as the European Championships and World Cup races across Europe this summer. A separate under 23 (U23) team of paddlers will also be selected for separate World and European championships. Tune in tomorrow to watch. Live results are available at www.canoeliveresults.com or visit the GB Canoeing website John @gregiej
This weekend (April 27-28) at Lee Valley marks the exciting culmination of the GB Canoeing Canoe Slalom Selection Trials series 2013. Last year’s selection races were tremendously exciting at this wonderful Lee Valley White Water Centre in Herfordshire, which was the venue for the state of the art Olympic canoe slalom. You saw some of the paddlers including gold and silver medalists in C2 competing in the Olympics and after the first two selection events this final selection trial is looking very tight. The two days of selections decide the GB Canoeing team for the 2013 World Championships, World Cup series, European Championships and U23 championships.
More details are available from the GB Canoeing website, where you can find links to buy tickets, or through the home nation websites. Tickets will be available at the venue.
I will be bringing you live results here as well as through the Sportscene.tv and International Canoe Federation Cardiff World Cup website
Great Britain’s Richard Hounslow in K1M focussed on advancing to the semi-finals (photo courtesy of Michael Barnett)
Abridged article here, for the full story see Sportscene – Judging from early feedback the Lee Valley Legacy project experience is really inspiring a next generation of canoe slalom paddlers. The youngsters share the venue with GB Canoeing athletes, who have gone the extra mile to make them welcome.
“I have a young man who is totally blown away by the session and his Coach. Inspired would be an understatement”
Twenty-six young paddlers have now had Canoe Slalom coaching at the Hertfordshire venue, from 14 different clubs. It is the first stage of the sport’s London Olympic Legacy plans organised by GB Canoeing in cooperation with Canoe England, the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and local canoe clubs. The project aims to generate interest in Canoe Slalom amongst paddlers, aged nine to 16, and as expected the bulk of numbers has come from local clubs.
“I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” said Mike Chandler, lead coach for the first sessions. “I’m not saying we’re going to get an Olympic Champion out of this group of kids, but we have seen many who have real potential for slalom competition. Seven of our regular young paddlers have taken part in the first local Division 3/4 slalom event with their club, with one gaining promotion to Division 3.”
The Lee Valley Legacy Project has already gone quickly off the start line and into the first gate sequences…
@gregiej
A GB Canoeing sponsored initiative to inspire the next generation of Canoe Slalom paddlers has started at the Olympic Lee Valley venue just north of London. Here is a taster of what the initiative aims to achieve and how the first sessions have gone.
Here is the link to the latest article posted on Sportscene website
Last night was the 2nd Wednesday session, third overall on the Legacy Channel at Lee Valley with the 9-16 year old aspiring new slalom paddlers.
GB Canoeing Canoe Slalom Club Coaching sessions
Click here to view the full story on Sportsene and Etienne’s TEDx talk on YouTube
Sportscene – In the TEDx talk video Etienne Stott tells a truly inspirational story of the key moments in his journey from the age of ten, which including teaming up with Tim Baillie and the 2011 serious shoulder injury which put his hopes Olympics in jeopardy and regaining full fitness to win gold at London 2012. Etienne’s TEDx talk titled ‘The Red Thread to Glory’ was given at the University of Salford, Manchester, UK on January 16, 2013.
Welcome to a preview of the 2013 international canoe slalom season
Follow this link to a Sneak Preview of what to expect in the 2013 canoe slalom season posted on the Sportscene website.
I am delighted to be one of the new contributors to Sportscene and will be providing race previews, race day reports and post race reviews of the ICF World Cup and World Championship events through 2013.
John – @gregiej
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 7,700 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 13 years to get that many views.
I am delighted to report that Tim Baillie, Etienne Stott and Ed McKeever (200m sprint racing) have been awarded MBE (Member of the British Empire) in Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year’s Honours List. All three won gold at the London 2012 Olympics in August.
Click here for the link to the GB Canoeing page with a comment from GB Canoeing Performance Director, John Anderson, also an MBE.
Nick, Etienne, Mark, Richard, David and Tim at the end of the C2 finals (photo courtesy of AE photos)
This is a fantastic end to the 2012 year for GB Canoeing and indeed the world-wide sport as a whole as it further raises the media profile of this exhilarating sport. The MBE’s also recognise the sustained Olympic performance by the whole of the GB Canoeing organisation over many many years, which culminated in our first ever canoe slalom gold medals and first Olympic medals in C2. Tim, Etienne and Ed now join Richard Fox who was awarded an MBE in 1986 for his services to British Sport. Photographs posted elsewhere show exciting and significant work at the Troja slalom site in Prague, which will host the 2013 World Championships in September.
Congratulations to you all. Happy New Year everyone. I hope you have written down your goals for 2013. I have!
Legendary French C1 triple Olympic Champion Tony Estanguet, 34, has today announced his retirement from canoe slalom. He truly leaves on top with gold in London his third Olympic gold, in addition to his three individual C1 World Championship titles, 2 World Championship C1 team medals, twice World Cup Champion and three times European Champion. He was the French flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
C1 legend Tony Estanguet (photo courtesy of AE Photos http://www.aephotos.co.uk)
His career at the top of the sport started more than 18 years ago competing against Michal Martikan as juniors in 1994, then with his first senior medal at the Tres Coroas World’s in Brazil back in 1997 (silver). He will be deeply missed at the Troja World’s in Prague next year. He goes out with legend status to rival American’s Lugbill & Hearn.
I was lucky enough to meet Tony a few times, watch him train and compete. He has an exciting smooth style to his paddling. I am sure we will still see him on the bank at the World’s and Rio Olympics helping the next generation of paddlers. He has been elected on to the IOC Athletes’ Commission on which he will serve for eight years. Good luck Tony in your next endeavours.
