Western Australian Kynan Maley is the latest canoe slalom paddler to earn the right to be nominated to the Australian Olympic team to compete at the London Games in July after the second qualification race at the Oceania Slalom Championships in Penrith on Saturday.

Maley, who hails from North Fremantle but now lives in Sydney, was the best Aussie during the Oceania heats on Friday, and then finished ahead of his local rivals in the semifinal of the Oceania event Saturday to meet the criteria for nomination.

So far the other athletes likely to be nominated to the Australian Olympic Committee by Australian Canoeing are Jessica Fox (Women’s K1), and Maley with Robin Jeffery in the Men’s C2.

The remaining class to be decided for the Olympic team will be the Men’s K1 on Sunday, which will be a three way battle between William Forsythe (NSW), Sam Lyons (NSW) and Warrick Draper (VIC).

The nomination for Maley is the culmination of a long battle to earn Olympic selection, after dramatically missing out in 2003, when Robin Bell was selected ahead of him.

If he competes in London he will be the first Australian male to compete in both the C1 and C2 at the same Games.

Maley was on a high after his performance.

“Yeah, it’s taking a long time to sink in. This is my fourth Olympic selection (campaign). Obviously I had Rob Bell (ahead of me) the first three times so it doesn’t feel very real yet,” he said.

“The other guys in the team, they put a lot of pressure on me. 

“I lost the first race to Matt Gabb so I’m really happy to come back and hold it together. I managed to execute the plan, I wasn’t trying to make finals, I was just trying to do what was needed. I knew the time before I went down I had to beat.”

He said he broke down when he realised he was the fastest Australian in the semifinal.

“I think I was pretty much in tears. I’ve raced three times for this selection and everytime I’ve done some really good stuff but it was never quite enough,” he said.

“So I haven’t really even let myself imagine what it is like so I don’t really know what to think.”

Second best Australian, Ian Borrows of NSW, felt that the pressure had hit him.

“It wasn’t the best. I really had to push because I knew Kynan was ahead of me so I really had to go quite hard for it. I made a couple of mistakes on a few gates and that’s what really cost me at the end of the day,” he said.

“I wasn’t really thinking of it as a semifinal, more a one run to try all the Aussies.

“So it was quite nerve racking at the start line, especially having Kynan going quite a long way after you, so he gets to see all your times and if you muck up he gets to have a little pressure taken off him.”

Christian Fabris of Victoria, was disappointed on missing out on the Olympics.

“I’m disappointed, it was pretty nerve-wracking. I knew that I had to win and the nerves just got the better of me by the end of the run. I made a pretty big mistake on the last two gates, had to paddle back and after that it was done.”

“Kynan did an awesome job to win, it’s really good to see that result for him.”

He said he would now have to reassess his future.

"The goal was the Olympics, so I’ll have to sit down and have a think about what to do. But if I’ve made the team for the World Cup it’ll be good to get over there and capitalise on all the training I’ve been doing for this.”

The South African born Robin Jeffery, from NSW, was pleased for his C2 teammate.

“For me personally it wasn’t a great race, I was really nervous and didn’t handle it that well, but I’m so happy for Kynan.

“He’s been the best Australian paddler for a long time and he thoroughly deserves it.

“I had my fingers crossed for Kynan since I’ve been doing C2 with him and we’re good mates, so I’m happy about that.”

InfoStrada Sports for Australian Canoeing