Jessica Fox and Ben Pope have kicked off the new year in style by winning the women’s C1 and men’s K1 finals at the Australian Slalom Championships in Tasmania today.
Fox demonstrated why she is the current C1 women’s world champion with a dominant display in the final.
Despite picking up a two-second penalty for a gate touch, Fox recorded a time of 96.47 to finish 3.17 seconds ahead of Hobart’s Kate Eckhardt.
Defending champion Rosalyn Lawrence finished third.
“I didn’t have a good race in the C1 last year so it was good to come back this year and put together a good C1 run in the final,” Fox said.
Eckhardt was equally pleased with her start to the year. She surprised herself to beat a host of more experienced paddlers to finish second.
“I was really happy to get down a clean run. I was feeling pretty good, especially on the bottom half of the course,” Eckhardt said.
The Derwent Canoe Club paddler is making the step up to under-23s this year following a standout career at junior level which saw her win two medals at the ICF Junior World Championships.
“It is a big step up to under-23s, it is going to be really tough competition racing for selection up in Penrith and I am excited about racing against all the other girls in under-23s and seniors.”
The men’s K1 final followed with Western Australian Ben Pope triumphant in a time of 78.17.
Less than a second separated the top three with Pope finishing 0.60 seconds ahead of three-time Olympian Warwick Draper.
Draper edged his fellow Melbourne Canoe Club paddler Tim Anderson for silver by 0.21 seconds.
Pope said ‘being number one in Australia feels really good’.
“It feels great, it feels amazing, it is the first competition that I have truly won,” Pope said.
With 2016 being an Olympic year Pope is excited by the challenge that awaits next month where he will look to challenge the likes of Lucien Delfour for a K1 Olympic berth.
“I am going to give it my best shot. I am definitely going to try for it, Lucien is still a step ahead but I am going to try and push him.”
Tomorrow will see the women’s K1 and men’s C1 finals from 9 am AEST. The C2 finals will also be contested on the final day of racing.
PRESS RELEASE BY AUSTRALIAN CANOEING
