Nowhere were there more fresh faces on the podium than in Women’s K1 where veteran Slovaks and Czechs had their stranglehold on the podium broken by a German, a Spaniard and a Brit. Though she led at the end of qualifications and semis, one 2-point gate touch in the final heat cost Maialen Chourraut (ESP) the gold medal.
Though Chourraut’s time on the water was .79 faster than Jasmin Schornberg, Schornberg’s penalty-free run earned the 23-year-old German her first gold medal since being crowned Junior World Champion in 2004. Nevertheless, Chourrat’s silver delivered her country its highest podium finish of this championship.
This year, some 22 women explored their own possibilities in the demonstration event of C1. After the last ten women crossed the finish line, the scoreboard showed a sweep for Australia: Leanne Guinea, 137.80, gold; Rosalyn Lawrence, 143.10, silver and 15-year-old Jessica Fox, 145.41, bronze. “I’d like to repeat this gold when the ICF grants C1 women full medal status, hopefully next year.”
ICF Second Vice President Richard Fox was clearly pleased with this year’s championship. “I think we saw a high standard of performance on the water and the fans created an absolutely electric atmosphere during the finals,” Fox said. “Even more so, there were some really great stories from this event that will lay the foundation for the long-term health and future of the sport as well as create a lot of anticipation for the Worlds in Slovenia next year.” For complete results, photos and videos, visit www.worldseu09.parcolimpic.com