Lucien Delfour, Jaxon Merritt and Warwick Draper are expected to lead the charge for Olympic K1 selection at the Australian Open at Penrith Whitewater Stadium from the 5 to 7 February.
The Australian Open will be the first of two selection events, with the Oceania Championships to follow from the 19 to 21 February.
Delfour heads into the event as the local favourite after a consistent 2015 season saw him finish the year at number three in the K1 world rankings.
The reigning Australian Open champion produced three top 10 finishes in the ICF World Cup series, winning bronze medals in Spain and France to finish the series second in the overall standings.
The 27-year-old will have to perform at his peak if he wants to defend his title with a strong international field assembled.
Reigning world champion Jiri Prskavec of the Czech Republic, German duo Sebastian Schubert and Hannes Aigner, Frenchman Mathieu Biazizzo and Slovenian Peter Kauzer join Delfour as top ten world ranked athletes at the event.
American Michal Smolen and Michael Dawson of New Zealand have achieved success at the venue before while London Olympic champion Danielle Molmenti of Italy rounds out a truly world-class field.
But all eyes will be on which Australian athlete can produce the best performance under pressure with five athletes set to challenge Delfour for a place in Rio.
Victorian Jaxon Merritt and Tasmanian Daniel Watkins appear to be Delfour’s greatest rivals after racing on the national senior team in 2015.
Merritt, in particular, has demonstrated that he can produce a fast run under pressure down the Sydney Olympic course after taking out the Oceania title in 2014.
His 29th place finish at the World Championships in London last year saw him secure the Olympic quota and at 24 Merritt is coming into the prime of his career.
At 20, Watkins is seen as a future Olympic prospect but a place in Rio is certainly not out of the equation this year.
The Hobart paddler regularly records some of the fastest competition runs but often picks up regular gate touches. If he can clean up his runs and keep up his pace he will be right in the Rio picture.
Calm under pressure, Warwick Draper is a man who excels at this time of year.
At 39, Draper will embark on a fourth Olympics campaign. If he is successful in achieving that feat he will become the first Australian in canoe slalom to race at four Olympic Games.
Rounding out the other main contenders for a Rio berth are Western Australian Ben Pope and Victorian brothers Alistair and Tim Anderson.
Pope is arguably the form athlete in the nation today after winning the Australian Slalom Championship in Tasmania last month.
While the Anderson brothers consistently finish top five in domestic K1 races and on their day have the ability to upstage their rivals.
The men’s K1 qualification runs will commence on Friday. The semifinal and finals runs will follow on Sunday.
The Australian Open will act as the first of three selection trials, with selection trials two and three to follow at the Oceania Championships.
For a greater explanation of the selection process please click here.
Junior selection heats up
The Australian Open will be the final selection event for athletes looking to secure a place on the national junior team this year.
Melbourne Canoe Club paddler Tristan Carter (pictured) was the standout performer at the Australian Slalom Championships in Tasmania last month which acted as the first selection event.
The 17-year-old dominated the men’s K1 event by winning the first and second selection trials by three and four seconds on each occasion.
Western Australian pair Timothy Coward and Louis Richardson, and Victorian duo Bradley McLaughlin and Ashley Hobbs currently round out the top five on the junior team provisional rankings.
Tomorrow Australian Canoeing will preview the women’s K1 and C1 events.
