Poznan, Poland to Host Final Olympic Qualification Event for Canoe Sprint
Olympic places to be won in each category (except K4)
Lausanne, Switzerland May 12, 2012 – The ICF season is set to kick off next week with the European Olympic Qualifiers taking place on the Malta Regatta Course in Poznan, Poland. The Qualifiers which will be held from 16-17 May are of great significance because there are Olympic places up for grabs, not to mention the fact that several athletes will have their fates decided on whether they will be competing at this year’s Olympic Games in London.
Paddlers from 35 countries in Europe will compete to launch their 2012 season as only the winner of the Final gets to take home the Olympic place.
European countries will be looking to snap up a few more Olympic spots. Just last week France received a C1 1000m place and Serbia also happily received a Women’s K2 500m boat. This means that other European hopefuls have one less country to worry about in those events events.
Women’s Kayak
There are 5 or 6 girls capable of winning this event. Austria’s Ana Roxana Lehaci is the frontrunner to secure this spot but Jennifer Egan (IRL) will also be giving it her best shot. The Irish Republic national has been making good strides in her development over the past few years and she will be giving it her best shot for that win.
The K2 500m race will be fought between Great Britain, Sweden and Spain, with possible advantage going to Great Britain as the Lani Belcher and Hannah Angela will be motivated with the opportunity to compete in their home Olympic Games.
There will be a huge buzz in Poznan next week as the prizes are huge. To add further to the excitement Eurosport and many national broadcasters in Europe and elsewhere will be televising the event fueling the public’s interest as Europe’s best paddlers vie for Olympic Qualification.
The European Qualifiers in Poznan will be held alongside the Paracanoe World Championships, the Championships and Qualifiers will be followed by the Canoe Sprint World Cup I (18 – 20 May).
