The 2013 Western Australian Canoe Sprint Championships were held in ideal conditions over the weekend with six senior athletes from SASI and one from NSW creating a high quality field of racing.
In the K1 200m event Steve Bird (Doubleview) was very impressive showing that he is well on track following post Olympic surgery to his elbow by recording a personal best of 35.82 sec in finishing ahead of Brodie Holmes (Sorrento) who also PB’d in 36.22 and Callum Dunn from SASI. WAIS 200m athlete Todd Brewer (Doubleview) finished in fourth.
The K2 200m event saw Holmes and Brewer combine impressively to win in a fast time of 33.5 over SASI’s 200m specialist crew of Petho and Dunn, with Daniel Bowker (Doubleview) and Reece Baker (Mosman Park) closely following in third.
The K1 1000m events saw an aggressive strategy from Reece Baker, who pushed out hard to open up a race winning lead early in the piece to record his quickest time in four years in a smart 3.32. Baker claimed victory by just over half a length, from promising SASI U23 paddler Zac Ryan, with Luke Haniford (SASI) in third.
The K2 1000m event was a very high standard race with Bowker and Baker prevailing in a new PB of 3.14.58, showing they will be one of the crews to watch at the National Championships at the same course in early April. In second place was the impressive SASI combination of Haniford and Ryan in 3.15.26, whilst Brendan Rice (Carine) and David Graham also posted a personal best, in 3.20.01.
In the non Olympic 500m events Steve Bird carried over his 200m form to also record a PB of 1.41.78 in holding off an impressive and fast finishing Daniel Bowker in 1.42.41. Callum Dunn rounded out the podium in third.
The K2 500m perhaps saw a mini upset, with Bowker and Rice (1.32.23) combining beautifully to beat Brodie Holmes and Steve Bird (1.33.31) with Todd Brewer and Callum Dunn coming home in third.
In the women’s events, Alana Nicholls (Doubleview) put behind her post Olympic injury woes to show she is well on track towards her best, winning comfortably in 42.3.8 with U23 athlete Jaymee Lee Martin (Willetton), promising Junior athlete Shannon Reynolds (Wembley) and surf iron woman Phoebe George crossing the line in a blanket finish of within half a second of one another in that order.
The 500m event saw Nicholls carry on her winning ways to record an emphatic victory in 1.53.3 with George underlying her potential to come home second in 1.58.4 with Shannon Reynolds having a strong paddle for third in 2.00.85.
In the K2 500m Nicholls and Reynolds combined for the first time in competition to record a comfortable win in 1.46.34 with George and Martin second in 1.49.58.
Nicholls said her strong results were a welcome boost as she continues back towards top form.
“I’m really happy with how things have been progressing on the water since I returned to paddling,” she said. “The State Titles were a good indication of how things are tracking and I’m positive we’re heading in the right direction.”
WAIS athletes leave next week for Grand Prix 3 at the Sydney International Regatta Centre which will be the selection event for the inaugural U23 World Championships in Canada.
– Ramon Andersson
