WAIS-AIS athlete Alana Nicholls held out a late challenge from New Zealand’s Lisa Carrington to win the Women’s K1 500 final at the 2012 Australian Sprint Canoe Championships last Friday.
Nicholls finished in a time of 1.49.60, just 0.32 seconds ahead of Carrington, with Naomi Flood (NSW) coming in third at the Sydney International Regatta Centre.
After gaining the right to be nominated to the Australian Olympic Committee for the WK1 200 event at the Oceania Championships two weeks ago, Nicholls now appears set to also be nominated in the WK1 500.
The 25-year-old Nicholls, who took a break from the sport in 2010 only to come back with a breakthrough season in 2011, said she is excited about the year ahead.
“I’m confident in the training that I’m doing at the moment and then the one thing I guess to try to take the pressure off myself is to go out there and do a personal best each time I race,” she said.
“I am excited to get there and I still think there are a lot of things to improve on and I can’t wait to race.”
As for improving on her fourth and fifth placings at last year’s World Championships, where Carrington took gold in the WK1 200m, Nicholls believes she has what it takes for London.
“I was just so close last year, so to do that and look across at these girls that I admire and then to think, ‘hang on a second, I belong there as well’, it’s quite good,” she said.
“I think I can definitely go over there and come home with some shiny medals.”
Flood, who was the 2009 World Ironwoman Champion, has also earned the right to be nominated to the AOC after only seriously focussing on the sport since 2010.
–Canoeing Australia
