Sprint Worlds Day One Recap

POZNAN, Poland -- Rough waters and start for the 1000m Men’s Kayaks on the first day of competition at the 2010 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships.

After some big gusts of wind and at times white caps, Sprint athletes battled through some tough conditions on the course today. Morgan House (Gainesville, Ga.) and Ryan and Patrick Dolan (Kailua, Hawaii) battled through the stormy conditions to qualify both boats to the Semi-Finals in the K-1 1000m and K-2 1000m, respectively. The afternoon wind did not let up much and both boats struggled through the finish line and will not continue into the Finals.

“I know the men were certainly capable of going faster than they showed today,” said USA Canoe/Kayak National Teams Director William Irving. “But working with their coach, Guy Wilding, they will get things straightened out and have a better race in their next events.”

Only two U.S. ParaCanoe paddlers, Rob Brown (Moncks Corner, S.C.) and Greg Crouse, were able to race before a storm blew through, postponing the rest of the ParaCanoe until tomorrow.

Day Two (Friday) Preview:

The U.S. ParaCanoe Team will start the day off with Tami Hetke (Boulder Creek, Calif.) and Ashley Thomas, while Vadim Kin will race his first event at the World Championships later in the afternoon.

House will once again lead off the U.S. Senior National Team in the morning as he attempts to redeem himself in the K-1 500m.

Tomorrow, the ladies will hit the water for the first time as Olympian Carrie Johnson (San Diego, Calif.) and Krisztina Zur will paddle in the K-2 500m. Later in the day, the Women’s K4 of Johnson, Maggie Hogan (San Diego, Calif.), Ariel Farrar-Wellman and Emily Vinson (Gainesville, Ga.) take action in the 500m event.

“The ladies are looking forward to racing tomorrow and excited to be racing against the world’s best,” Irving said. “They have put in a significant amount of work this summer and we are looking forward to a good day of competition.”

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.