Australia’s Noemie Fox has bounced back from a difficult day of qualifying to win bronze on the final day of competition at the 2018 ICF U23 and Junior Canoe Slalom World Championships in Ivrea, Italy (17 – 22 July).
Fox (NSW) had to rely on a second run to make it through to Sunday’s C1 semi-finals, and missed qualification for the K1 earlier in the week, but put that all behind her with a solid performance in the final.
There was also a good result for C1 junior Alexandria Choate (WA), who finished fifth in the final after qualifying in tenth position.
Fox said it was a great relief after a tough few days, despite picking up a two second penalty for a gate touch.
“I’m super happy, it’s been a long and tough week,” Fox said. “To finish with a solid run, where I felt really good, it’s a shame about the touch, but I’m really happy.
“It’s been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. I think I had a good preparation, I would have loved to have a go in kayak, but I’m just glad I paddled to my potential and my ability today.”
It was oh so close for teammate Kate Eckhardt (TAS), who missed out on the final by just 0.08 of a second in 11th place.
“It was really, really frustrating where I ended up, but I had some mistakes and I was slow in bits,” Eckhardt said. “I’m still happy with 11th place, but so close yet so far. I was probably more nervous waiting than I was before my run.”
Demelza Wall (WA) also had an encouraging World Championships, finishing 22nd in the C1 semi-final.
In the men’s event, two gate touches ended the chances of Daniel Watkins (TAS) in the men’s U23 K1. He finished in 14th place, just 4.34 seconds behind the fastest qualifier.
Fellow Australian Angus Thompson (NSW) also had a gate touch, finishing 27th.
Tasmanians Daniel Watkins and Kate Eckhardt had also made Saturday’s U23 finals in the U23 C1M and K1W respectively.
Watkins as well as team mate Brodie Crawford (WA) raced the U23 men’s C1 event and looked strong in the semi-finals with Watkins qualifying for the final in third position and Crawford in eighth spot.
But after a strong start on the difficult Ivrea course, Crawford found himself in trouble in the mid-section of the course and had to double back to avoid missing a gate and finished ninth.
Likewise Watkins started strong, but three gate touches and six seconds in penalty left the Tasmanian in sixth position, 6.39 seconds behind Czech gold medallist Vaclav Chaloupka.
In Saturday’s women’s U23 K1 event Kate Eckhardt looked solid in the semi-final, qualifying seventh for the final with a single gate touch. But four gate touches in the final cruelled any chance Eckhardt had of winning a medal, her final time of 107.26 putting her in seventh place overall.
In other results, Robert Janiszewski (VIC) finished 26th in the C1 junior semi-final in his first World Championships.
AUSTRALIAN RESULTS FINALS
Sunday, 22 July
| U23 Women’s C1 | |||
| Noemie FOX (NSW) | 3rd | 99.18 | +4.81 (2) |
| Kate ECKHARDT (TAS) | 11th | 107.75 | +11.92 (0) |
| Demelza WALL (WA/TAS) | 22nd | 124.61 | +28.78 (6) |
| U23 Men’s K1 | |||
| Daniel WATKINS (TAS) | 14th | 82.98 | +4.34 (4) |
| Angus THOMPSON (NSW) | 27th | 88.37 | +9.73 (2) |
| Junior Women’s C1 | |||
| Alexandria Choate (WA) | 5th | 110.63 | +10.18 (2) |
Saturday, 21 July
| U23 Men’s C1 | |||
| Daniel WATKINS (TAS) | 6th | 86.96 | +6.39 (6) |
| Brodie CRAWFORD (WA) | 9th | 102.30 | +21.73 (0) |
| U23 Women’s K1 | |||
| Kate ECKHARDT (TAS) | 7th | 107.26 | +17.95 (8) |
| Junior Men’s C1 | |||
| Robert JANISZEWSKI (VIC) | 26th | 126.17 | +40.47 (4) |
Sunday’s Race Results
U23 C1 WOMEN
- WERATSCHNIG Nadine (AUT) 94.37 (2)
- WOODS Kimberley (GBR) 98.17 (0)
- FOX Noemie (AUS) 99.18 (2)
JUNIOR C1 WOMEN
- SATKOVA Gabriela (CZE) 100.45 (0)
- BERTONCELLI Marta (ITA) 101.24 (2)
- STANOVSKA Sona (SVK) 104.55 (2)
- CHOATE Alexandria (AUS) 110.63 (2)
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