The 2013 ICF Junior & Under-23 Sprint World Championships at Welland International Flatwater Centre in Welland, Ontario, Canada, are over.
Congratulations to our local heroes from Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club!
Six United States boats recorded Top 20 finishes on Sunday, August 4, 2013, making nine total boats on the weekend.
Ryan Dolan‘s 11th place finish in men’s Under-23 K1 200m punctuated Sunday’s performances. The Kailua, Hawaii-native finished 2nd in his B Final with a time of 25.817, which was +0.167 seconds behind the race’s first place finisher. The U.S. Senior Team member entered the B Final after placing 3rd in his heat and 4th in his semifinal.
“Today was good,” Dolan said. “My race was a lot better than I felt in the semifinals. I was a little disappointed; I really wanted to make the A Final, but that’s where I am. I had a very hard semifinal and sometimes that happens, and that was all I could do.”
Team USA has plenty of motivation to return to 2014 Junior World Championships with improvement in mind. The team members had a chance to watch the A Finals, witness the presentations for the team medals, and see the official hand off of the flag to Szeged, Hungary, host of next year’s event.
Russia sent the largest contingent and won the most overall team points.
Many of the U.S. athletes will now head to Oklahoma City for next weekend’s 2013 U.S. Sprint National Championships.
Gig Harbor Canoe & Kayak Race Team members Makenzie Sousley (Gig Harbor, Wash.) and Savannah Jones (Gig Harbor, Wash) finished 4th in their women’s Junior C2 500m Final, which was a wild race that saw the leading boat capsize just short of the finish line. The U.S. duo finished with a time of 2:12.430, which was +7.325 seconds behind the race’s first place finishers.
A day after placing 16th in men’s Junior K2 1000m, Istvan Urban (San Diego, Calif.) and Dylan Puckett (Jones, Okla.) finished 13th overall in the 200m distance. Their 4th place B Final time of 35.437 was +0.254 seconds behind the race’s first place finisher.
A day after placing 14th in men’s U-23 K2 1000m, Lanier Canoe & Kayak Team members Chris Miller (Gainesville, Ga.) and Stanton Collins (Gainesville, Ga.) finished 14th in the 200m distance. Their 5th place B Final time of 34.530 was +0.672 seconds behind the race’s first place finisher.
Ben Hefner (Gainesville, Ga.) and Katy Hill (Gig Harbor, Wash.) finished 17th and 18th overall in their respective 200m B Finals. Hefner’s 8th place B Final time of 42.852 was +3.493 seconds behind the race’s first place finisher. Hill’s 9th place B Final time of 45.209 was +3.705 seconds behind the race’s first place finisher.
Quotes
Chris Miller, Men’s U-23 Kayak: “It was a good race. We’d been training for the 1000 [meter] and had an unexpected good result in the 200.”
Stanton Collins, Men’s U-23 Kayak: “The race was great. We ended up doing a lot better in our 200s than we thought we would, so it was good. Our 1000s were nice, and we have more room to improve for next year.”
Isti Urban, Men’s Junior Kayak: “It was a very close race. We really wanted to win this because we wanted to place among the Top 10 in the world. We gave it all we had, and we finished 4th, which puts us 13th in the world and we can’t complain.”
Ian Ross, Men’s U-23 Canoe: “This is really a great regatta. It’s my best performance in International competition and it feels great to have the hard work pay off. I was last off the line and essentially had to do a second start to get in with the pack. I liked my position at the 500 [meter mark] and saw the Mexican boat start his kick at the 250. I waited until the 200 and really felt strong going into the finish.”
Joe Jacobi, USA Canoe/Kayak CEO: “I’m proud of our performance in Welland and the way our athletes represented themselves, their sport and their country. Compared to our past results, we are improving and improving and while we have much work to do, we recognize our progress and a program moving in the right direction.”
Bob Lally, USA Canoe/Kayak Board Chair: “It was honor to be in attendance at the Worlds in Welland. We are grateful to our Canadian hosts and our partners at Canoe/Kayak Canada. We also extend our gratitude to the staff, coaches, volunteers, clubs and parents who make this outstanding opportunity possible for our athletes.”
Headquartered in Oklahoma City, USA Canoe/Kayak is a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee and the International Canoe Federation. It governs the Olympic disciplines of Flatwater Sprint, Whitewater Slalom, the Paralympic discipline of Paracanoe and sanctions Freestyle, Marathon, Outrigger, Wildwater, Stand Up Paddle Board, Kayak Polo, Dragon Boat and Canoe Sailing in the United States. For more information about USA Canoe/Kayak, please visit us on the web atwww.usack.org, on Twitter at @usacanoekayak and Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/USACanoeKayak.
