After a three year hiatus from international competition the Junior and U23 New Zealand team hit the ground running on a huge Day 1 of the 2022 World Championships.
The athletes were greeted by temperatures into the 30’s, an electric atmosphere and so many countries represented in Hungary challenging for the World Titles.
Many of the 14-strong team are making their international debut at this competition and with fierce competition from the 64 competing countries, the experience our athletes gain will be invaluable for their future paddling careers.
Samalulu Clifton kick off the opening day in the U23 Women’s K1 200m where she progressed through to the semifinal.
Our Junior Women’s K4 500 were up next progressing through their Heat with a very close 4th placing to reach the semifinal.
The U23 Men K4 500m followed suit, also progressing through to the semifinal.
Semifinal time saw a good set of results with Samalulu qualifying for Friday’s B-Final, the Junior Women’s K4 just missing a spot in the A-Final but will contest the B- Final. The Men paddled a solid race in the U23 500m semifinal, narrowly missing a place in the A-Final.
Damien da Silva and Isla Joyce closed out the day, progressing well in their K2 Mixed 500 heat and will contest the semifinal in this event.
There is an even bigger day is on the cards tomorrow. The team is ready and itching to get back on the start line and smash out some big races against the finest paddlers in the world.
Racing on Day Two begins at 7 PM and will be live-streamed on ICF’s YouTube channel, Planet Canoe.
Canoe Racing NZ will be providing regular updates and results on the website and social media throughout the event.
