CANOE SLALOM: Day 1 of the canoe slalom delivered mixed results for the men’s team, with Ian Borrows qualifying for the semi-final and Lucien Delfour out after the heats.
In the canoe single (C1), Borrows had a dream first run, going clear and sitting in fifth place after the first heat. He decided to contest the second run and wasn’t quite as quick as the first, but the ninthplace more than cemented his spot in Tuesday’s semi-final.
The first-time Olympian couldn’t wipe to smile off his face when the final results came through.
“I'm super happy. I was pretty happy with the first run,” Borrows said.
“I went out on the second run to see if I could slightly better it, but I wasn't quite as quick.
“I was always going to do the second run, it's just so good to be here and soak up the atmosphere and the crowd. I thought it would be good preparation for the next few days.
“I have a few ideas about what areas I want to improve on in paddling technically, so I will just try and improve on them.”
Unfortunately his teammate Delfour in the kayak (K1) was eliminated after a controversial ruling that left him in 17th, two places outside of the semi-final quota.
While his first run wasn’t as strong as he’d hoped, he was left stunned when he crossed the line to see he had a penalty added to his time.
“I was shocked to see that 50 penalty on the scoreboard, I actually didn’t know where it came from,” Delfour said.
“In these situations, I’m sure it was a tough call, but I think the athletes should get the benefit of the doubt.
“It is quite heartbreaking, especially considering this is the Olympic Games.”
The Australian team put in an ‘enquiry’ to have the penalty reviewed, but Canoeing Team Leader Richard Fox said that the decision would not be overturned.
“We had a short amount of time to enquire about a judging decision,” Fox said.
“By that time they had reviewed it – they had used the OBS fly-cam to uphold that decision.
“The rule is that you need to have your whole head in the gate and part of the boat. They decided that the whole head wasn’t inside, it was a fine line.
“He was in a good place and paddling well, it’s a real shame.”
Lauren Ryan
olympics.com.au
