Day 2 - Sharp Sprinting in Szeged‏

canoe kayak sprint icf world championships szeged hungary under 23 u23 junior sportscene

Michael Noyelle | ICF - Rebeka Simon (GBR) and Anna Karasz (HUN) were two paddlers who took full advantage of the tailwind as the second day of action drew to a close at the 2014 ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships in Szeged, Hungary.

The world's best young paddlers continued to stop the clock with impressively quick times as seven of the of the 17 categories contested reached their final stage after today's tight semifinals.

"Quick conditions, quick times, I beat my personal best by two seconds today," said Simon (K1W Junior 500m) after her semifinal victory.

The Hungarian-born Brit is looking to overshadow the talented Emma Jorgensen (DEN) in Sunday's final. Jorgensen was the standout performer at last years World Championships winning gold in the K1 Junior Women 200m and 500m distances, she was also the second quickest qualifier in today's K1 Junior Women 500m.

"She’s the defending World Champion and she beat me in the Junior Europeans in June", said Simon about the Dane. "I am getting closer to her this year, she used to be three seconds ahead of me and now it’s less than a second."

Focused on the Final

Despite highlighting Jorgensen, the 18-year-old knows that, out on the water, she is the only one responsible for her performance. "To be honest I don’t really like looking at everyone else. Even if I may have impressed them today, the key to win the gold will be to not get distracted, focus on what I can do the best in my lane because I can’t change what they could do."

As with every racer, Simon favours certain competition conditions. However, experience continues to educate the youngster who admitted crying before last seasons Junior World Championship final when faced with her previously feared tailwind.

"I used to prefer headwinds but I found out most competitions have a tailwind so I had to come to like it. Last year in Canada for the Junior Worlds it was a tailwind and I ended up getting a silver medal so it just shows that you can. In a tailwind you need to increase the stroke rate, in a front wind you need to increase the power."

As with many of the up-and-coming superstars in Szeged, Simon will also go to the Senior World Championships in Russia.

"This season my goal here is to do a new personal best, I am not aiming at a particular position or medal. Then I will go to Moscow and participate in the K1 1000m to get some experience for next year. I’ll be training for that after this competition, but my main goal is this World Championship."

Karasz aims for gold

Another fast qualifier was the more senior Karasz (K1W U23 500m) from Hungary. As part of one of the worlds strongest sprint nations the U23 competition provides Karasz a great opportunity to shine, with many of her superstar compatriots that normally accompany her to senior events ineligible to compete.

"These World Championships are important, it’s always a special feeling to race at home, I like Szeged very much."

However, despite reaching the final Karasz has not had the best run-in to her home event.

"I have had a sore throat since Monday and it’s only getting slightly better now. It has been a while I haven’t pushed at 100% so it was hard this morning and I feel tired. But I have the fastest time and I can recover until Sunday’s final, so I am still aiming at the gold medal."

With home support and the fastest qualifying time in the bag you could forgive Karasz for beginning to feel the pressure. However, her defiant responce to such a thought underlines her confidence.

"I feel no pressure, being in this position actually makes me calm."

It is clear that Karasz is another in a long line of world-class athletes to come through the Hungarian youth development programme, and although Sunday provides a welcome opportunity of further adding to her swelling medal cabinet she has loftier ambitions.

"My main goal of the season is the World Champs in Moscow. In the Europeans we won the K4 500m and we finished second in the K2 200m. So I will go there with ambitions."

In the other semifinals the fastest qualifiers where shared between nations with each stage providing gradually closer competition as the event moves towards the finals that will be contested over the weekend.

Fastest Qualifiers from Friday's semifinals:

K4M Junior 1000m
Aliaksei Misiuchenka, Yauheni Salanenka, Heorhi Anikin, Maksim Zaitsau (BLR) 2.56.484

K1W Junior 500m
Rebeka Simon (GBR) 1.51.824

C2W Junior 500m
Julie Cailleretz, Manon Follet (FRA) 2.08.095

K1W U23 500m
Anna Kárász (HUN) 1.50.186

K4M U23 1000m
Kostja Stroinski, Lukas Reuschenbach, Karl Weise, Felix Landes (GER) 2.51.820

K2W Junior 500m
Zoya Ananchenko, Yekaterina Kaltenberger (KAZ) 1.43.666

K2W U23 500m
Linnea Stensils, Moa Wikberg (SWE) 1.41.875

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