Team GB tops paracanoe medal table at Euros Portugal
5 golds, 2 silvers and a bronze for Team GB in the first international paracanoe competition of the year – Paralympic Programme Manager Steve Harris proud.
Nick Harding | @nickhdg | Sportscene - What a couple of weeks it has been for GB; Fiona Pennie becomes K1W European Champion, Hannah Brown becomes Wildwater World Champion, Ben Brown finishes a superb fourth in the Marathon Euros and now it is the paracanoeists' turn.
“There seems to be stacks of medals coming from the GB Paracanoe team, great job guys!” tweeted GB's Rachel Cawthorn, 6th in K1W 500m final.
The Canoe Sprint European Championships at Montemor-o-Velho, Portugal saw paracanoeists grappling on Friday and Saturday. Paracanoeists race in outrigger va'as or kayaks over 200m in classes based on the 'legs, trunk, arms' classification system depending on the extent of their mobility.
The level of competition continues to soar. GB is one of the countries leading the charge in paracanoe development and this medal haul is reflective of the talent identification, training programmes and technical innovation going on behind the scenes.
Nick Heald's tight nudge over Javier Reja required a photo finish in the V1M TA giving GB the first paracanoe medal, similarly in K1M A Britain's Ian Marsden came in a really close second to Poland's Jakub Tokarz.
Jeannette Chippington, who Patrick Mahoney (not competing) tipped for gold in the Rio 2016 Paralympics in his interview with Sportscene, lived up to expectations bringing it home with a near-to-7-second lead over German Gottschalk.
In the Women's Kayak TA it was an incredible achievement from Emma Wiggs to become European Champion when only six months ago she was playing seated volleyball for GB.
There were heats for the larger K1M LTA and K1M TA classes; both Robert Oliver (2nd) and Liam Twigg (3rd) went through to their respective finals.
Eagerly waiting the World Championships in Duisburg, Germany in September - if GB's form is anything to go by they should be able to match last year's 6 golds and a bronze from windy Poznan.
Photo and event website: http://canoesprintportugal.com
RESULTS
Day 1 (14/06) Finals
Men’s V1 TA
1. Nick Heald (GBR) – 00:54.141
2. Javier Reja (ESP) – 00:54.981
3. Ronan Bernard (FRA) – 00:55.276
Women’s V1 LTA
1. Jeanette Chippington (GBR) –01:01.892
2. Brit Gottschalk (GER) – 01:09.282
3. Paulina Rutkowska (POL) – 01:17.992
Men’s K1 A
1. Jakub Tokarz (POL) – 00:54.625
2. Ian Marsden (GBR) – 00:57.350
3. Adrian Castaňo (ESP) – 00:58.385
Women’s K1 TA
1. Emma Wiggs (GBR) – 00:57.783
2. Nataliia Lagutenko (UKR) – 01:10.708
3. Katalin Kajdi (HUN) – 01:21.553
Men’s V1 A
1. Jakub Tokarz (POL) – 01:07.277
2. Dan Hopwood (GBR) – 01:09.157
3. Stefano Chiozzotto (ITA) – 01:22.307
Day 2 (15/06) Finals
Men's K1 TA
1. Mendy Swoboda (AUT) – 00:43.456
2. Tomas Mozdzierski (POL) – 00:48.176
3. János Bencze (HUN) – 00:48.721
(GB's Liam Twigg finished in 6th)
Women's K1 LTA
1. Anne Dicken (GBR) – 00:56.645
2. Mihaela Lulea (ROM) – 00:58.590
3. Cindy Moreau (FRA) – 00:59.410
Men's V1 LTA
1. Martin Tweedy (GBR) – 00:56.010
2. Konstantin Borkut (RUS) – 00:57.150
3. Miroslaw Rosinski (POL) – 00:57.590
Men's K1 TA
1. Iulian Serban (ROM) – 00:42.071
2. Tom Kierey (GER) – 00:43.221
3. Robert Oliver (GBR) – 00:44.391