Our F-Team kayakers take on Europe
May was a busy month for our F-Team Kayakers Steve Bird, Murray Stewart and Jesse Phillips who competed at back to back World Cup events in Europe.
Their competition schedule kicked off with the World Cup 1 taking place in Montemor-O-Velho, Portugal. Murray Stewart began with a great solo effort in the K1 1000 but tough conditions meant he finished in 2nd place. He went one better in the K4 1000 and claimed Gold along with his team mates finishing 1.2 seconds ahead of their closest rivals.
Team Australia - Sprint/SlalomSaturday, 16 May 2015
The Western Australian duo of Bird and Phillips finished 6th in their pet event, the K2 200m. Less than a second separated the top six so the duo were unlucky not to finish higher.
A week later, World Cup 2 began in Duisburg, Germany. Murray finished both of his events in 5th place. After strong paddles in both the heats and the semis, Steve and Jesse had a tough time in the final of the K2 200 finishing in 9th and 2 seconds off the pace.
The final World Cup event in May took place in Copenhagen, Denmark and with Murray sitting out the event, Steve and Jesse were carrying the flag. Much like World Cup 1, they finished in 6th place with less than a second separating the top 6 competitors and then finished off the event in style securing bronze in the K4 200.
Kenny Wallace, Lachlan Tame, Jesse Phillips & Stephen Bird - K4 200 Bronze
Team Australia - Sprint/SlalomSunday, 31 May 2015
Our kayakers will be based in Europe over the upcoming months. Right now they are enjoying a well deserved break from training. However not for long, as the Olympic qualifiers commence in Milan on August 19 and the trio of F-Teamers will be looking to book their seats for Rio with some strong paddles.
Good luck boys!