CANOE/KAYAK: Naomi Flood has kept her Olympic dream alive with victory in the women’s K1 500 race-off at the National Canoe Sprint Championships in Perth.

The London Olympian entered today’s head to head battle with her K2 teammate and close friend Jo Brigden-Jones needing a victory to ensure that the Olympic nomination race goes to the first World Cup in May.

Flood recorded a the time of 1:54.77, to finish 0.76 seconds ahead of Brigden-Jones.

Flood was pleased to stay in contention for Rio after she thought her Olympic dream was over earlier this week.

“It has been so tense these last couple of days. Obviously, I thought my dream was over after the K2 final when we got second to the young girls,” Flood said.

“I don’t know where I pulled that paddle from on Friday to win the nationals and then the race-off today, far out, a lot of pressure and I feel like I have not had anything to lose since we lost the K2,”

Despite today’s victory, Flood acknowledged it was tough racing against such a close friend.

“To race against Jo, she is my K2 partner, she is my friend, she is my training buddy and it was always guaranteed that she was going to Europe but for me that was my final last ditch effort domestically and I am stoked.”

The battle to determine who will secure the third and final place in the women’s Olympic team will now be decided at the first canoe sprint World Cup in Duisburg from the 20 to 22 May.

Whoever finishes as the highest ranked paddler in their respective events will earn the right to be nominated to the Australian Olympic Committee.

In the event that Flood (K1 500) and Brigden-Jones (K1 200) both produce the same result, the decision will be determined based on the percentage they finish behind the winners.

Between now and the first World Cup in Germany Flood plans to work on all aspects of her paddling.

“I am just going to back to a good base now, get some kilometres in and hopefully get my elbow on track and get rid of this pain I have been having for months now,” Flood said.

“Then set up a base somewhere, go back to the drawing board and start all over again and continue the squeeze on because really my Olympics will be in May, not in August,” Flood said.

Meanwhile, Martin Marinov looks set to join elite company and make a seventh Olympic Games appearance after winning the C1 1000 men’s race-off at the National Canoe Sprint Championships.

Paddling into a head-wind, Marinov was simply a class above his opponent, producing a time of 4:43.99 to finish 9.54 seconds ahead of South Australian Charlie Ellis.

Despite it being a sizeable margin, Marinov said Ellis pushed him the entire race.

“They were tough conditions and in face the weather was in my favour because I have got more experience and I knew how handle the conditions with the waves and wind, especially in the first 200 metres,” Marinov said.

“But the young fella is going really well, what is he, 18 or 19 years old and he has got potential if he keeps going the same way.”

“He gave me a hard time to be honest as I had pressure to the last moment as I didn’t know his potential and I had to push myself to the end.”

Remarkebly, Marinov only considered a comeback to racing a month and a half ago after his old C2 partner Ferenc Szekszardi gave him a call asking if he wanted to do C2.

The move has paid dividends though with two National titles in Perth this week.

“I didn’t expect too much to be honest with less than two months of training but so far I have got two events out of three and now it is the selectors decision to decide who will go to the Olympics, if I do not go as an athlete I will go as the Chinese Coach anyway,” Marinov said.

The two-time Olympic bronze medallist admitted it would be a special achievement to feature at a seventh Olympics.

“That is one of the reasons I wanted to do it, just to have a fifth Olympics as an athlete which is not very often in our sport and at the age of 49 I reckon that will be close to a canoeing record,” Marinov said.

Should he make the team he plans on wearing the green and gold.

“I will wear Australian but I still have a commitment to coach this guy (Qiang Li) to the Olympics and I believe that he can win the gold medal and that is my priority as coach,” Marinov said.

Canoeing Australia