WAIS kayaker Steve Bird has advanced to the final of the men’s K1 200m at the National Championships in Perth and will race for a spot on the Australian Olympic Team for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games on Thursday morning.
Bird eased into the Championship final, which doubles as the second Olympic selection event, after winning his semi in a time of 35.38secs, ahead of fellow WAIS athlete Todd Brewer (36.55) in second.
In a strong result for the WAIS kayaking group, Brodie Holmes (36.39) and Jesse Phillips (35.60) ensured they would join Bird in the final, after the pair won their respective semis, giving WA a strong representation in the field that also includes Brewer.
After securing his shot at selection, Bird confirmed he was pleased with his day one efforts at Champion Lakes.
“The race felt pretty good and bodes well for (the final) tomorrow morning,” he said. “It was a good rehearsal, good practise. I felt comfortable out there, just hitting my goals within the race.”
Whilst he is well placed, having won the first selection race in Adelaide earlier this month, Bird indicated he would be taking nothing for granted as he prepares for one of the most important races of his life.
“I feel great for the final tomorrow. I’ll feel even better once I’ve executed the things I want to in the race and then hopefully, the by-product of that is the desired result.”
Despite focusing on the process needed for the final, Bird admitted selection would be a huge achievement.
“It would mean a lot, of course,” Bird said. “It would be the culmination of a lot of things going right.”
“It would be a testament to the work that I’ve put in and testament to all the work put in by the service providers and coaching staff and family and friends who’ve been around me, so really if I get on the team, if that happens, it won’t just be me on that team, it’ll be a lot of people,” he said.
Alana Nicholls was narrowly beaten in the final of the women’s K1 200m, with NSW paddler Jo Brigden-Jones advancing her selection claims with a second qualifying win. The latter’s time of 40.78, was less than a tenth of a second sharper than that of Nicholls’ 40.87 and all but guarantees her a berth in Rio.
Nicholls will now turn her attention to the K1 500m, where she will bid to keep her selection ambitions alive.
In the women’s K2 500 heats, WAIS paddler Jaime Roberts combined with South Australian Cat McArthur to finish second behind NSW combination Brigden-Jones and Naomi Flood. The winners of the first selection GP in Adelaide – Queensland pair Alyssa Bull and Alyce Burnett – won their heat, with these three crews expected to feature prominently in the final.
In one of the races of the day, WAIS paddler Daniel Bowker was part of a men’s K4 1000m composite that finished second behind victors; Kenny Wallace, Lachlan Tame, Murray Stewart and Jacob Clear.
Bowker was competing with; Riley Fitzsimmons, Joel McKitterick and Jordan Wood. 1.43secs separated the two crews, who stayed level for much of the course.
Bowker also raced the heats of the men’s K2 1000 on day one, finishing second alongside McKitterick, with the duo set to push for the final on day two. Bowker will also contest the K1 1000 at the Nationals in Perth, with the Queensland based athlete still firmly in the selection mix for Rio.
