It was another great day of racing at the 2022 PA Canoe Sprint Grand Prix 2 at Sydney International Regatta Centre.
Athletes tested both their speed and endurance on day three of the competition, contesting the 200 and 1000 distance events.
Dual Paralympian Susan Seipel raced in both the V1 and K1 events today, and was pleased to be able to put together some good races.
“It’s so great to be back – I love racing so I’m just making the most of every opportunity we get to do it,” Seipel said.
“It’s also great to see so many new faces on the water, and we’re really missing our friends from Western Australia
“I took some time off after Tokyo, and took myself on a little bit of a holiday in Queensland and really enjoyed that.
“Then I just got back into training in November, and have been working on getting everything back to where it was before.
“Focusing on the little things, and areas where I can really improve – and that’s why I’m back because I think I can go faster,” she said.
Seipel was also enjoying the time in her daily training environment at the National Centre of Excellence on the Gold Coast, and welcoming the new athletes that have joined.
“It’s great to have some new people around, but it’s also a bit sad seeing the ones who retired after Tokyo go,” Seipel said.
“They did so much for the sport, and I definitely miss seeing those guys around.
“But it’s exciting to see so many new faces at training every day, and the future is looking bright as we start to look ahead to Paris in 2024,” she said.
In the women’s C1 200 final, it was Tokyo Olympian Josephine Bulmer that managed to get the win in a time of 0:51.46.
Bulmer, who took an extended break following the Tokyo Olympics, said she is starting to get her groove back.
“It’s a bit different for me at Grand Prix 2 this time, there’s a bit less pressure without Olympic selection on the line.
“I’m just trying to have some fun and get my groove back after the Olympics last year.
“I had a bit of an extended break, so I’ve been training with the kayakers down in South Australia and trying to hold on to them to get some fitness back.
“I took some really good things out of my Olympic experience, and I’m hoping I can keep building on those this year.
“I’m just trying to build back my fitness, build back my confidence and see how I go – I’m taking it one step at a time,” she said.
For full results and updated draws CLICK HERE
The final day of racing at the 2022 PA Canoe Sprint Grand Prix 2 will commence at 8am tomorrow at Sydney International Regatta Centre.
