Larimer was one of the earlier boats in the class to paddle their semi-final run.  He paddled one of his best ever runs in a C-1 at the World Championships and easily moved into first place.  He remained in first place for a while as none of the early paddlers could surpass his time.  Unfortunately the judges added a two-second penalty to his run after quite some time which dropped him out of the top ten.  He had ever so slightly brushed a gate with his knuckles—so slightly that many of the judges, spectators and coaches missed it.

In the end, Larimer ended up 18^th and did not advance to the ten boat final.  He remained very happy with his paddling and his fellow US athletes showered him with praise.  Larimer’s teammate Austin Crane (Marietta, Ga.) also had a good day and finished 23^rd.

The men’s canoe class was won by the two-time Olympic gold medalist Tony Estanguet (France).  Despite his Olympic success this was his first world championship.  Second to Estanguet was the similarly accomplished Michal Martikan (Slovakia), who won the Olympic gold medal in 1996.  Winning the bronze was the hometown favorite Stanislav Jezek (Czech Republic).

The women’s kayak class was won by the spectacular Jana Dukatova (Slovakia).  Dukatova had a two second penalty at the end of her final run but was so fast that she still beat second place Fiona Pennie (Great Britian) by three seconds.  Finishing third was Jennifer Bongardt (Germany).

The World Championships concluded Sunday with an official medal ceremony and a party for the athletes and coaches.  In 2007 the event moves to Foz d'Iguassu, Brazil, currently scheduled for September 19-23.

Men’s Canoe Results:

1. Tony Estanguet (FRA), 207.69

2. Michal Martikan (SVK), 209.00

3. Stanislav Jezek (CZE), 211.01

18. Jeff Larimer (USA), 110.92 (Semi-final run only)

23. Austin Crane (USA), 113.28 (Semi-final run only)

Women’s Kayak Results:

1. Jana Dukatova (SVK), 224.09

2. Fiona Pennie (GBR), 227.41

3. Jennifer Bongardt (GER), 229.29