World Cup Silver for Roberts and Australian K4 500 Crew

Jaime Roberts and the Australian women’s K4 500m squad have won a silver medal at World Cup I in Hungary in a high quality final.

The recently formed Australian crew pushed New Zealand hard to the line in the final, with the Kiwis claiming victory in 1:29.433, with the Aussies second in a new national record time of 1:30.472.

Roberts was teamed in the Australian squad with Olympians Alyssa Bull, Alyce Burnett and Jo Brigden-Jones. Hungary claimed the bronze medal, marginally ahead of Portugal.

The podium performance in an Olympic event is a major boost for the team’s morale particularly after Burnett confirmed post-race that their early combinations in training had been less successful.

“Two months ago after Nationals we decided we would give the K4 a red hot crack, but to be honest when we first jumped in it at the first training camp we were all second guessing ourselves,” she said.

“It didn’t gel together quite the way we expected, but I think that probably worked in our favour. We had to work on a few things and go right back to basics, and then work up from there.

“But we couldn’t be happier, it makes it even sweeter.”

Western Australian sprint kayaker Stephen Bird contested the men’s K1 200m in Szeged, qualifying for the B Final, where he finished in eighth position.

The London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympian is on his first overseas competition tour since taking a year off racing in 2017.

He finished fourth in his semi-final, with only the top two advancing directly for the A Final, as well as the fastest third place seed.

He will have another crack at the event as the World Cup series moves to Germany next weekend for World Cup II in Duisburg.