Corinna KUHNLE (AUT) and the pair Gauthier KLAUSS / Matthieu PECHE (FRA) lit up La Seu demonstrating their super slalom skills. With two more medals each this Sunday, France and Spain can now head to Pau for the World Cup final with confidence.
The K1 Women went first on the white water of the Parc Olimpic Del Segre, and all the paddlers who qualified for the final knew that their biggest challenge was probably to outclass the two crowd’s favourites, Maialen CHOURRAUT and Marta MARTINEZ who could go down the course blindfolded.
The only paddler up to the task on Sunday was 2010 and 2011 World Champion Corinna KUHNLE.
The 28 year old Austrian delivered a perfect race, utilising the power of the water to speed between gates and reminding the observers that she can be tough to beat when she’s at the top of her game and physically strong.
“We know that the Spanish are always really fast on this course and hard to beat”, she said.
I was faster today, I’m happy with that. It was a clean run, I felt really in control all along, it was fun. - Corinna KUHNLE.
Her frustrating start of the 2015 season, when she had to deal with illness, seems now behind her.
“The start of the season was not perfect for me; I was just ill a couple of times, before the European Championships, then had a fever at the World Cup in Liptovsky, managed to get a medal in Krakow, it was really up and down. A few weeks at home helped me recover and calm down”, she continued.
She’s now headed to Pau, then to London, where her biggest challenge awaits.
“My next goal is to win the Olympic selections, and that starts with the World Championships in London”, said Kuhnle. “I’ve been around for so many years that I know the courses, I’ve been to London a lot of times, Pau a few times, I like to adapt from small water to big water. I train on small water at home in Vienna. It’s more fun to paddle on big water but in the end the excitement of the race is always the same”.
Maialen CHOURRAUT (ESP) picked up silver, despite looking disappointed at the finish after making a huge mistake at the upstream gate 19. The 2012 Olympic Games bronze medalist dominated the heats and the semifinal and could indeed hope for gold.
“I did the same mistake on the same gate in the semifinal but it was not so big”, she said.
“My coach warned me, but I don’t know what happened. It’s a pity. I think I was very fast. I am disappointed as I wanted more. But it doesn’t matter if I win or lose, the past is the past and I focus on the next challenge.”
Comfortably settled in the top level K1 athletes, Chourraut has proved to be good under pressure and is looking forward to the rest of the season.
Globally I am having a great season but I think I can do even better. I can’t wait to be in London, we want the quota for the Olympic Games. - Maialen CHOURRAUT
Much to the crowd’s delight, bronze went to Marta MARTINEZ (ESP) making it a double medalled event for the home team and repeating their performance of Liptovsky, where the two Spaniards already had won silver and bronze, leaving gold to Jana Dukatova (SVK).
This time the Slovak superstar finished sixth in the final, quite far from the podium but certainly pleased to score points for the national Olympic selections, spread on five races.
Klauss / Péché continue the positive momentum
In the C2 Men none of the medalists picked up penalties leaving the final results down to pure speed in the dash for the line at the bottom of the 1992 Olympics’ course.
Eager to demonstrate their real skills after messing up their national trials, Pierre Labarelle and Nicolas Peschier (FRA) did a great run and surely thought it would be enough to win the gold.
But their compatriots Gauthier Klauss and Matthieu Péché did not see it that way. The pair, currently leading the world cup scoreboard after wining gold in Prague and silver in Liptovsky, added another gold medal to their haul, stopping the clock 0.28 seconds faster.
“It was hard in the top section, confessed Péché. “ Even during the race we can’t help but mentally compare our pace between the semifinal and the final and we knew we were not as fast. We had to attack hard in the bottom and it worked, we’re really happy with our run”.
“For us winning the overall World Cup has clearly been our main goal and right now we’re leading so that’s a satisfaction”, added Péché.
Pau is hosting the next world cup and that’s where we train, so we’re really looking forward to it. - Matthieu Péché
Klauss gives a clear-headed analysis of their season so far: “We missed our European Championships but we know we’re fast this season and we often put down clean runs, with the exception of the second world cup in Krakow”, he said.
“Being consistent is probably the most challenging part in competition and we are working hard on that to finish well in Lee Valley for the World Championships”.
In London they will try to overcome their bad memories after a fourth place in the 2012 Olympics.
“We want to step on this podium so bad”, said Klauss. “This kind of things always stick in the back of your head, and always will. But now we use these bitter feelings as fuel to go further”.
The Olympic games silver medalists David Florence and Richard Hounslow, who finished third in La Seu on Sunday, will stand on their way.
The British crew savoured their bronze medal after a frustrating start of the season.
“ We’re always going for gold at the end of the day, but first and foremost you’re always looking to put down a solid run, have a good plan”, said Hounslow. “I think there were a couple of little mistakes but that was a good run.”
“We had some bad world cups previously so it’s really good to get back up there and get back on the podium”, Florence agreed”. “ You’ve got to be happy with a medal really.”
"We’ve not had a good season since the Europeans and for us it’s been frustrating because we’ve actually been paddling very well in training, but in the race it’s never been enough", said Florence. "This weekend we’ve put down a few fast runs so we’re really pleased”.
Maybe the biggest surprise of this exciting C2 men competition was the absence of the Hochschorner brothers in the Final. The two legends did too many mistakes in their semi, and left the lead of the slovakian Olympic selection to the pair KUCERA/ BATIK , who finished 10th Sunday in la Seu.
The World Cup is now going to Pau, France, where the season grand finale will be held from the 14th to the 16th.
Watch the replay on Youtube
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