CANOE SLALOM: Australian slalom paddler Jessica Fox and Lucien Delfour each won K1 gold at the Australian Open in Penrith on Sunday.
Fox, the current dual senior and U23 world champion dominated the final, finishing 4.49 seconds ahead of fellow Australian Alison Borrows.
2013 Australian Open champion Katerina Kudejova of the Czech Republic collected the bronze in 103.05, 0.48 seconds ahead of semifinal winner Stephanie Horn of Italy.
“The K1 was a really good race. All of the Aussie girls are paddling really well and it was good to see some good international paddlers out here with the Germans, Czechs and the French in the mix in the finals and Luuka (Jones),” Fox said
“To put down a really good run like that even though I made a mistake at main wave, all in all the speed is there and the technique was quite good so I am happy with that.”
Borrows was equally pleased with her result, a career best, and it secured her a maiden K1W berth on the senior team this year.
“I wanted to make it this year as I was very close last year and the year before so this was the year to make it,” Borrows said.
The Penrith kayaker enjoyed competing against the strong international contingent.
“It was really good to point down a good run, and put it against theirs and it ended well for me so I am happy,” she said.
The C1W final followed in the afternoon with Rosalyn Lawrence winning the gold in 110.79, 4.20 seconds ahead of Fox.
Borrows won herself a second medal, collecting the bronze in 118.55. Narrowly ahead of Noemie Fox in fourth.
The Australian women were not the only Australians to fire, with Lucien Delfour winning the K1M final in 87.25, 1.89 seconds ahead of Czech kayaker Jiri Prskavec.
Victorian Warwick Draper finished third.
Delfour was pleased with the win which also saw him complete a clean sweep of the selection trials.
“I am so pleased. It is actually the first time I have won the title, I have been trying for six years now so I am pretty stoked,” Delfour said.
Delfour recently received his Australian citizenship. Asked whether he thought it was an omen he responded like a typical Aussie, “nah mate”.
“I have been training really well and pretty hard this year and I think that is the reason why I have won today.”
Frenchman Denis Gargaud Chanut won the C1M final ahead of Western Australian Kynan Maley.
The world number seven executed a clean run down the 20 gate course to win in 91.91, 0.28 seconds ahead of Maley.
Slovakian Patrik Gajarsky took home the bronze medal, 2.18 seconds behind the Frenchman.
“It was quite a good session for the start of the season. I have won a bronze medal, one silver and now the gold medal so I am very happy”, Gargaud Chanut said.
French crews dominated the C2M final, collecting all three medals.
Pierre Labarelle and Nicolas Peschier built on their semifinal win on Saturday to win the gold today in 98.22, 0.31 seconds ahead of Gauthier Klauss and Matthieu Peche.
Pierre Picco and Hugo Piso rounded out a French trifecta in 99.99
Australian Canoeing
