Translation: Sabrina Barm | Proofreading: Lou Lockhart | Sportscene - After an international offbeat at the Australian Open at the end of January, the elite of canoe slalom start the post-Olympic season in Europe on the Easter weekend. About 300 participants from 14 different countries are registered, half of them being in the main event of the world ranking list carried out by the ICF.

The Netherlands have their national team selections during that very weekend. For the German athletes this is their last position reckoning before the decisional competitions for the national team three weeks later on 20/21 April at the same location and on 27/28 April in Augsburg. 20/21 April in Markkleeberg they will also be fighting for tickets to the European and World Championships.

Strong field of competition
The task won’t be an easy one for Germany’s near complete team of top athletes. In the Men’s kayak, Olympic champion in Peking, Alexander Grimm and London’s bronze medalist Hannes Aigner (both from Augsburg) will face vice world champion and fourth at the Olympic games Mateusz Polaczyk from Poland, U23-world champion Jiri Prskavec from the Czech Republic and Mathieu Doby, 11th at the Olympic games. Among the favorites in the Men’s C1, we find Olympic silver medalist Sideris Tasiadis (Augsburg), local heroes Franz Anton (U23 vice world champion 2012) and Jan Benzien and overall World cup winner Alexander Slafkovsky. Plus there are Benjamin Savsek (8th at the Olympic games) and his compatriots, the U23 team World Champions Jure Lenarcic and Anze Bercic. The Men’s C2 events will see a confrontation between David Schröder/Frank Henze (11th at the Olympic games), Marcin Pochwala/Piort Szczepanski (Poland, 5th at the Olympic games) and U23 team world champions Jonas Kaspar/Marek Sindler (Czech Republic).

The largest field of competitors is seen in the Women’s kayak. European team champions Jasmin Schornberg (Hamm/5th at the Olympic games) and Cindy Pöschel (Leipzig) will race Austria’s current world champion Corinna Kuhnle, European champion Carole Bouzidi (France), overall World Cup winner Ursa Kragelj (Slovenia), U23 World Champion Katerina Kudejova and fourth at the Olympic games Stepanka Hilgertova (both from the Czech Republic). The C1 Women’s event will see European champion Mira Louen (Hilden, Germany) and U23 vice World Champion and vice European Champion Monika Jancova from Czech Republic.

Sparkassen Sprint Cup
The competitions begin on Easter Saturday starting with qualification heats at 09:00 am, culminating with the Semi-Finals (10:00 am) and Finals (02:00 pm) on Easter Sunday. On Easter Monday, there will be a special event: the first “Sparkassen-Sprint-Cup”. A spectacular race over a shortened course with 10 gates at the most, the competitors fight for an overall 5000 Euro prize money. There will be no penalties for touching a gate, only time is counted. Missing a gate will lead to disqualification.

Links

• Live results: www.sportscene.tv/liveresults
• Event website: http://slalomevents.de

The following competitors will race for the German Canoe Federation:


K1 Men (K1M): Hannes Aigner (Augsburger KV), Paul Böckelmann (Leipziger KC), Fabian Dörfler (KS Augsburg), Alexander Grimm (KS Augsburg), Sebastian Schubert (KR Hamm), Fabian Schweikert (KCE Waldkirch).

C1 Men (C1M): Franz Anton (Leipziger KC), Jan Benzien (Leipziger KC), Nico Bettge (KCF Magdeburg), Frederick Pfeiffer (Augsburger KV), Franz-Xaver Strauss (Augsburger KV), Sideris Tasiadis (KS Augsburg).

C2 Men (C2M): Franz Anton/Jan Benzien (Leipziger KC), Eric Mendel/Alexander Funk (KSV Bad Kreuznach), Kai Müller/Kevin Müller (BSV Halle/S.), David Schröder/Frank Henze (Leipziger KC), Mathias Westphal/Paul Jork (Leipziger KC).

K1 Women (K1W): Claudia Bär (KS Augsburg), Katja Frauenrath (KCZ Köln), Ricarda Funk (KSV Bad Kreuznach), Cindy Pöschel (Leipziger KC), Jasmin Schornberg (KR Hamm), Caroline Trompeter (SKG Hanau).

C1 Women (C1W): Sabrina Barm (Augsburger KV), Mira Louen (KC Hilden), Birgit Ohmeyer (KS Augsburg), Lena Stöcklin (Leipziger KC), Karolin Wagner (Leipziger KC).


TIME SCHEDULE

Easter Saturday, 30 March 2013

09:00 Qualification 1. Lauf (K1M, C1W, C1M)

11:30 Qualification 2. Lauf (K1M, C1W, C1M)

14:00 Break

15:00 Qualification 1. Lauf (K1W, C2M)

16:15 Qualification 2. Lauf (K1W, C2M)

17:30 End

Easter Sunday, 31 March 2013

10:00 Semi Final (K1M, C1W, C1M, K1W, C2M)

13:00 Break

14:00 Final (K1M, C1W, C1M, K1W, C2M)

16:30 Presentation Ceremony


Easter Monday, 1 April 2013 (Sparkassen Sprint Cup)

10:00 Qualification (K1M, C1W, C1M, K1W, C2M)
13:00 Break

14:00 Final (K1M, C1W, C1M, K1W, C2M)

15:30 Presentation Ceremony


Original article: www.teamkanuslalom.de