WAIS kayakers have missed out on team boat qualifications for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games following the 2015 ICF Sprint Canoe World Championships in Italy.
Alana Nicholls and the Australian women’s K4 500m crew finished second in the B Final, whilst Jesse Phillips and Steve Bird claimed fourth in the men’s K2 200m B Final, with neither result earning Australia qualification for Rio.
There remains a slim possibility that future spots could be available via continental qualification and selection roll backs, but at this point in time, Australia will not have team boats in the women’s K4 500m and men’s K2 200m at the Rio Olympics.
The result will see WAIS kayakers pushing for individual boat selections at next year’s selection trials, with competition for qualified boats set to be intense.
Nicholls competed at the London Olympics in both the women’s K1 200m and K1 500m events and would remain a strong chance to be at the head of the pecking order for the female K1 sprint spots, whilst Bird is the current Australian men’s K1 200m champion and will likely target this event, should the K2 200m spot remain unavailable. Bird won the C Final in the K1 200m at last week’s world championships.
The K4 500m event was a bitter pill to swallow for the Australians, with the boat having competed strongly through the 2015 World Cup series. After drawing a tough heat the Australians missed a spot in the A Final through the semi final stage and with it, a chance to secure the Olympic quota.
The K2 200m boys fought hard in Milan but were similarly unable to crack a top nine spot, and with Australia having already secured seven of a potential eight men’s positions for the Rio Olympics, due largely to the success of the 1000m paddlers, it would be unlikely that Australia fields anything other than an individual boat in the 200m class.
In the women’s events, Australia still has the ability to secure a team boat in the women’s K2 500m, which will make next summer’s domestic world cup series in the lead up to National Championships and Selection Trials one of the most competitive campaigns in recent memory, with a large number of athletes chasing reduced places.
