Three Tasmanians were on song during day two of the ICF canoe slalom under-23 world championships in Ivrea, Italy.
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Despite plenty of nervous moments, two Hobart products Daniel Watkins and Kate Eckhardt survived to make it through to this weekend’s semi-finals.
The pair lead the way for the Paddle Australia team, qualifying for both K1 and C1 semis.
Eckhardt advanced through to the next round of the C1 on her first run, but needed two runs to get into the K1 semis.
“It’s quite a relief. Second runs are always nerve-wracking,” she said.
“It kind of feels like a final because only the top 10 go through.
“I knew I was capable of making it through on the first run, but as you can see, mistakes do happen.”
Watkins needed two runs to qualify for the C1, but had a solid first race in the K1 to go straight through.
“I’m happy to finish it off with a first run through,” he said.
“It’s been a long, hot day and I’ve already done two runs, so to do it on the first run in the kayak, I couldn’t be happier with that.”
West Australian-born Tasmanian Institute of Sport teammate C1 paddler Demelza Wall qualified on her second run.
“I’m really excited, because my first run was nerve-wracking, it was really solid except for one brain lapse,” Wall said.
The semis are scheduled for Friday.
Corey Martin
Having started at The Examiner as a cadet in 2009, I have held various positions telling the stories of Northern Tasmanians in sport and news. I was appointed deputy editor in 2019 and became editor in September 2021.
Having started at The Examiner as a cadet in 2009, I have held various positions telling the stories of Northern Tasmanians in sport and news. I was appointed deputy editor in 2019 and became editor in September 2021.
