Lokken and Smolen take 2nd in Jr. Worlds Qualifying

FOIX, France -- Zach “Bug” Lokken (Durango, CO) and Michal Smolen (Gastonia, NC) lead the US Athletes in the 2010 ICF Canoe Slalom Junior World Championships to advance to Sunday’s semifinals.  Also advancing today were Tyler Hinton (Boulder, CO) and Hailey Thompson (Steven’s Point, WI).

America’s top junior canoeist, Lokken started the day well with a great first run, which put him in second place.  He maintained that position throughout the heats to easily advance.

“I haven’t raced much against juniors outside of the U.S., so I wasn’t sure what to expect," Lokken said. "My result today gave me some confidence going into Sunday.”

Feeding off his training partner’s success, Smolen had an outstanding second run, which would have put him into first were it is not for a pesky touch halfway down the course.  At the end of the day, he was pleased with his second place finish, in the highly competitive kayak class.

“After laying down a good first run, I felt more confident to go faster and risk more,” Smolen said.

Also advancing in the C1 class was Hinton, who found himself on the bubble after his first run.

“Being on the bubble to qualify made me focus harder and lay down a fast and clean second run,” Hinton said.

In the newly created women's C1 class, Thompson overcame two large mistakes to advance as well.

Peter Lutter (Bethesda, MD) missed out on the Semi-Finals by less than one second and finished in a respectable 41st place at his first Junior Worlds.

"I raced really well and while it's frustrating to come up just short, I look forward to building upon this experience," Lutter said.

Lokken, Smolen, Hinton and Thompson will be joined by Caroline Queen (Darnstown, Md.), who advanced yesterday in 13th position. The Semi-Finals will take place on Sunday, with the top ten in each class advancing to the highly coveted Finals.

For live results and video of the World Championships, visit http://www.123result.com/. Visit http://www.foixcanoe2010.com/en/ for more information.

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 and Whitewater Slalom and sanctions Freestyle, Marathon, Outrigger, Wildwater, Kayak Polo, Dragon Boat and Canoe Sailing in the United States. For more information about USA Canoe/Kayak, please visit us on the web at www.usack.org.