Jeffery a Dual National Champion

WAIS canoeing scholarship holder Robin Jeffery has made a blistering start his 2011 campaign after winning the C1 and C2 titles at the Australian Canoe Slalom National Championships on the Goolang Creek at Nymboida, north of Coffs Harbour.

Flood waters have played havoc with the event, with huge amounts of water in the Nymboida and Clarence Rivers, forcing local authorities to shut down the Nymboida Power Station in a preventative effort to avoid major flood damage.

This led to the event being scaled down, but in the action that did take place, Jeffery provided plenty of highlights.

Jeffery – who is an Ascot Kayak Club paddler – claimed a maiden C1 title after finishing ahead of Warwick Draper with a clean second run score of 102.77secs, with defending champion Christian Fabris, in third just three hundredths behind his fellow Victorian.

The devastating floods in Queensland forced Jeffery’s regular C2 partner and fellow WAIS scholarship holder Kynan Maley out of the two man event, after he was stranded in the flood affected region – where he is currently based for training.

Jeffery teamed with K1 national title holder Will Forsythe in Maley’s absence, with the pair able to manufacture a rapid-fire competitive understanding to take title honours in the C2 championship.

Jeffery and Forsythe finished a second clear of Christian Fabris and Joey Croft in a time of 118.0.

Considering the difficult circumstances surrounding the win, Jeffery could at least see the lighter side of the eleventh hour partnership with Forsythe.

“He did pretty well for a ring-in,” Jeffery joked at the finish.