The dust finally settled on the 2011 Canoe Sprint World Championships and what a whirlwind it was that swirled over Szeged, Hungary for the last day of competition. The 200 metre events were the headliners and the 20,000 crowd responded as swathes of red, green and white swayed, sang and shouted their support for the home team, but it was a day for the other nations.
Ed MCKeever - dominant again
Great Britain supporters were hoarse with excitment as the bewtching hour of 1pm drew closer and Ed McKeever’s assault for the gold medal would begin. McKeever was flanked by his main protagonists – Piotr Siemionowski (Pol) and Ronnie Rauhe (Ger) . The crowd hushed momentarily, the tension palpable. As the start buckets dropped the decibel level went nuclear. McKeever jousted hard holding back the German but the Polish contender edged forward, and held on and just held on again, just enough to take the line ahead of the Brit, ahead by only two tenths of a second. Rauhe came in third.
Jess Walker stepped up next. Again, although Hungary was present – there were no medals coming their way as Lisa Carrington (NZL) won her nation’s first ever womens world championship medal. Jess was 7th – finishing on the same second as 5 of the 6 ahead of her – there is more to come from this talented racer.
Then the climax -as if it was possible, the noise ampage upped again, like Motorhead doing Wembley. The scene could have been Agincourt all over again – the gritty Brits Heath and Schofield versus the silky French, Hybois and Jouve. Head to head all of the way, there was just an extra Va in the French Voom, that gave them the win with the Brits so achingly close….. Heath looked across as if to say ‘ Next year,…its ours. A bientot’.
Heath & Schofield - silver medal winners at the World Championships
The success of this fast, arm pumping, lung busting short-distance racing confirms how right the decision was to include it in the Olympic Games – London you are in for a treat in 2012.
Britain’s pride of young lions returns fully intact to home shores tonight with a job well done in the womens and 200m events. While the 1000m squad gave everything, some calls to CSI may just go out to assist with the post mortem – but that will keep for just a short while.
Tonight is one for celebration – a job well done with 4 women and 3 men qualified for the Olympic Games, almost a 100% improvement rate from the last Olympic cycle, and with another Qualification opporunity to come next year. What’s more, GB has some outstanding and proven medal prospects, not to mention the outstanding fan club, that the sport is generating. From Auntie Tess in her armchair back home, to Peter, Tom, Jenny, Richard, Liz and the many many others who proudly fly the flag on foreign shores.
FOOTNOTE:
Lani Belcher – what a competitor – what a silver medal in the K1 5000m. Putting all of last year’s unpleasantness behind her (everyone remember what happened on the penultimate turn of the last circuit in Poland last year), got her deserved reward and a place on the podium. Top racing Lani and loving the Tweet.
