The WAIS kayaking group competing at Grand Prix 3 in Penrith have returned some impressive performances, with Stephen Bird winning the K1 200m on his return to racing following surgery after last year’s Olympic Games and two athletes gaining selection onto the Australian U23 team.
Bird – who had elbow surgery following his sixth place finish with fellow WAIS scholarship holder Jesse Phillips in the men’s K2 200m in London – showed he is well on his way back towards peak form, with a tight win in the men’s K1 200m at the Sydney International Regatta Centre.
Bird got off to a great start holding off a fast finishing Lachlan Tame to win the gold in blanket finish with just 0.70 seconds separating the top four.
Bird crossed the line in 37.19, just 0.06 seconds ahead of Tame with emerging WAIS star Brodie Holmes and Currumbin Creek Olympian Ken Wallace finishing third and fourth respectively.
Bird was happy with his first performance back in national ranks and particularly pleased with his efforts out of the gate.
“It feels a little unusual after a long break and a little bit of surgery so it is just a regatta to see how I am feeling and going against everybody else and it has been quite surprising, I was really stoked with the win,” said Bird.
“My start was fantastic and the middle was great as well and then something crawled on the back of my boat in the final 40m, but I managed to hang on.”
In the absence of K2 200 Olympian Phillips, Bird sat out the K2 event allowing Tame and Wallace to take out the men’s K2 200 final in 34.35, half a second ahead of New Zealand duo Scott Bicknell and Andrew Hoy.
WAIS scholarship holder Daniel Bowker and Indoroopilly’s Tim Donkin finished third, 1.06 seconds behind the winning time.
Bowker’s performance was particularly impressive, given his unfamiliarity in tandem with Donkin, and following his exceptional form in the 1000m events earlier in the meet.
Bowker competed in a star studded final of the men’s K1 1000m, finishing fourth in a strong time, before pairing with WAIS training partner Reece Baker for bronze in the K2 1000.
Completing an impressive set of performances, Bowker claimed victory in the non-Olympic men’s K1 500 event, finishing ahead of young gun Bill Bain (Qld) with Brodie Holmes fifth and Stephen Bird eighth.
London Olympic K1 200 gold medallist Lisa Carrington showed her class in the women’s K1 200 final on Sunday morning powering out of the start gates on to victory in 41.79.
The New Zealander finished 1.07 seconds ahead of Sydney Northern Beaches’ paddler Jo Brigden-Jones while WAIS star and 2012 Olympian Alana Nicholls finished in third, 0.90 seconds behind the NSWIS kayaker.
Nicholls also competed in the final of the K1 500m, finishing fourth, again behind New Zealand’s Carrington.
The Australian U23 team was announced following Grand Prix 3, with WAIS athletes Todd Brewer and Jaymee-Lee Martin both named following impressive form over the selection period.
The Australian U23 sprint team will compete at the ICF U23 World Championships in Welland, Canada from August 1-4.
The main focus for Australia’s sprint kayakers will now turn to the 2013 National Championships, which will be held at Perth’s Champion Lakes from April 3-7.
To view race footage from the weekend and hear interviews, including WAIS athlete Steve Bird on his win, click here.
– with Australian Canoeing
