Crane, Larimer into canoe semis at worlds
By Luke Dieker // USA Canoe/Kayak // August 4, 2006
Austin Crane (Marietta, Ga.) and Jeff Larimer (Marietta, Ga.) each had successful days at the ICF World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic. Both athletes paddled well enough in qualification to make their way into the forty-boat semi-final set for Sunday. At the end of the day it was Larimer qualifying 31st and Crane qualifying 34th.
“Given the hard course, we learned a lot today from our mistakes,” said Crane. “We know what we need to do tomorrow.”
In Friday’s qualification, the athletes paddled two runs down the course, with the total time plus penalties deciding their rank. The top 40 boats in each class advanced to the semi-finals slated for Sunday afternoon. After the qualification runs the top 40 boats are seeded backward with the fastest paddler going last in the semi-final. The times of the semi-final and final runs are added together to produce the final result.
Benn Fraker (Peachtree City, Ga.), the only canoe on the US team not to qualify, had a nightmare day in Prague. He came into a gate near the end of his first run way off his line, and spent several seconds paddling back up for it. He made the same mistake on a similar move on his second run. Other than those moves, Fraker paddled very well and would have cruised into the semi-final. At the young age of seventeen—much younger than the rest of the field—he has a bright future ahead of him despite Friday’s difficulties.
It was a much tougher day for the US women’s kayaks. Racing against a talented field of top female paddlers, none of the three US women advanced to the finals.
Zuzana Vanha (Boulder, Colo.) had two good runs but a mistake near the end of her second run where she had to paddle back upstream to navigate a gate she had missed cost her a chance in the final. She was also hampered by a first run in which she accumulated four two second penalties for touching gates. She was happy with how she paddled for most of her second run, but in the end Vanha finished 44th.
Jamie Tidmore (Bryson City, N.C.) also had to paddle back for a gate, but her mistake came on the first run. She paddled furiously on her second trying to make up the difference and slide into the top forty. Unfortunately her efforts were in vain and she finished 45th, right behind her teammate Vanha.
On her first run, Molly Stock (Potomac, Md.) encountered some trouble about two-thirds of the way down the course. She came into a gate slightly off her line, and in an effort to make the next gate she missed the eddy and consequently the next two gates. Missing a gate carries a 50 second penalty, which in World Championships caliber competition is always fatal. Stock had a good second run and in the end finished 55th.
Friday also saw the men’s kayak team race. Things did not start well for the US team of Scott Parsons (Bethesda, Md.), Brett Heyl (Bethesda, Md.) and Jim Wade (Boise, Idaho). Wade cut gate six too close on the first run and was given a questionable 50 second penalty. Without that penalty the US would have been one of the top teams going into the second run with a shot at a medal. The second run was exceptionally fast, but the big penalty from the first left the US team in 21st place.
Official results in the team run were still pending at the end of the day Friday, as ten coaches from ten separate countries including the United States filed protests with the race officials. The protest centered around the starting of the first run, where officials held the team boats. Officials held the boats too long in some cases, and in others teams were allowed to run without held boats and get a faster start. A first run re-run has been requested, but it is not likely the protest will be accepted by the organizing committee. A first run re-run would greatly help the US team as it would eliminate the questionable 50 second penalty which was the team’s downfall.
Saturday will consist of semi-final and final runs in the men’s kayak class. Top US paddlers Scott Parsons and Brett Heyl both qualified in the top ten and have their sights set on a medal.
The men’s canoes and women’s kayaks will also paddle again on Saturday in team competition, where the three US athletes will paddle the course together, weaving through the gates in a pattern designed to allow all the boats to navigate the course with the greatest efficiency. It is truly a fun element of slalom to watch.
Men’s Canoe Qualification Results:
1. Tony Estanguet (FRA), 214.18
2. Michal Martikan (SVK), 214.89
3. Jan Masek (CZE), 215.46
31. Jeff Larimer (USA), 238.01
34. Austin Crane (USA), 238.62
46. Benn Fraker (USA), 262.89
Women’s Kayak Qualification Results:
1. Jana Dukatova (SVK), 228.81
2. Stepanka Hilgertova (CZE), 230.42
3. Violetta Oblinger-Peters (AUT), 236.67
44. Zuzana Vanha (USA), 286.69
45. Jamie Tidmore (USA), 289.25
55. Molly Stock (USA) 396.65
Unofficial Results of K-1 Team Run:
1. France, 223.51
2. Italy, 229.52
3. Poland, 230.72
21. USA, 289.75
Racing Saturday in Prague:
Men’s Kayak:
Scott Parsons (Bethesda, Md.)
Brett Heyl (Bethesda, Md.)
Men’s canoe and women’s kayaks team race.
