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U.S. Slalom Paddlers Open World Championship Competition on Wednesday
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Monday, September 17, 2007
2004 Olympian Scott Parsons is among 13
USACK slalom athletes that will open World Championship competition Wednesday in
Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil.
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FOZ DO IGUACU, Brazil -- Thirteen United States canoe/kayak athletes open World Championship competition, Wednesday at the 2007 ICF Slalom World Championships, Sept. 19 – 23 on the Itaipu White Water Canal in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil.
U.S. entries will take whitewater slalom runs in men’s and women’s single kayak and men’s single and doubles canoe events. | The 2007 ICF Slalom World Championships is the first of three qualifiers for U.S. athletes to earn points toward selection to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team.
In the kayak events, five athletes will represent the U.S. in Brazil. Leading the way for the U.S. in the men’s kayak (K1) is 2004 Olympian Scott Parsons (Sylvania, Ohio), a bronze medalist at August’s Good Luck Beijing Olympic test event in China and Brett Heyl (Charlotte, N.C.).
In 2007 World Cup competition, Parsons brought home two top-ten finishes, winning silver in Tacen, Slovania and finishing 9th in Augsburg, Germany. Also representing the U.S. is James Wade (Boise, Idaho), who is entering his second year on the U.S. senior national team. Parsons is the top-ranked U.S. slalom paddler at seventh in the world. Heyl is ranked 16th and Wade 54th. Stefano Cipressi of Italy is the 2006 K1 men’s world champion.
In the women’s kayak (K1W), Zuzana Vanha (Charlotte, N.C.), Ashley Nee (Washington, D.C.) and Caroline Queen (Washington, D.C.) will represent the U.S. in Brazil. Vanha is ranked 48th in the world, Nee is ranked 54th, and Queen is 70th. Jana Dukatova of Slovania is the 2006 K1W world champion.
In the canoe events, seven athletes will compete in Brazil. Benn Fraker (Peachtree City, Ga.), Tad Dennis (Peachtree City, Ga.) and Jeff Larimer (Atlanta, Ga.) will represent the U.S in the men’s canoe (C1). Fraker is ranked 25th in the world, Dennis is 47th, and Larimer is 35th. Tony Estanguet of France is the 2006 C1 world champion.
In the men’s double canoe (C2), the duo of Austin Crane (Atlanta, Ga.) and Scott McCleskey (Sylva, N.C.), who finished 11th at the Beijing Olympic test event, along with the double of Rick Powell (Parkesburg, Pa.) and Casey Eichfeld (Drums, Pa.) will represent the U.S. Crane and McCleskey are ranked 33rd in the world, while Powell and Echfeld are ranked 38th. Jaroslav Volf and Ondrej Stepanik of the Czech Republic are the 2006 C2 world champions.
The 250-meter competition course is set within the 400-meter-long, 12-meter-wide Itaipu White Water Canal. The canal has a total drop of 8.20 meters and steady flow of 12 cubic meters per second.
Qualification races take place Wednesday and Thursday, with team races on Friday. Semifinals and finals take place Saturday and Sunday.
About Slalom Canoe/Kayak
In slalom canoe/kayak racing, paddlers navigate through pairs of poles called "gates" through a course of approximately 300-meters, set-up over challenging rapids, waves, eddies and currents. If the paddler touches one of the poles or misses a gate altogether, penalty times are added to the time achieved on the run.
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About USA Canoe/Kayak
USA Canoe/Kayak is a non-profit membership organization promoting canoe and kayak racing in the United States. A member of the United States Olympic Committee, Charlotte, N.C. based USACK is the national governing body for the Olympic sports of Flatwater Sprint and Whitewater Slalom and official U.S. federation of the International Canoe Federation. Other paddling sports sanctioned by USACK include Marathon, Rodeo, Wildwater, Kayak Polo, Outrigger, and Dragon Boat. USA Canoe/Kayak’s National Team Sponsor is Bank of America and its National Team Apparel Sponsor is NIKE. To learn more about USACK and its other sponsors and suppliers, visit www.USACK.org .
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