WAIS-AIS athletes Jesse Phillips and Steve Bird will compete in the sprint kayak World Championships in Poznan, Poland this weekend.
The K2 200m pair only earned selection this month, after defeating the partnership of Matt Goble (SA) and Chris Alagich (QLD) in a selection trial at the AIS European base in Varese, Italy.
The 2010 national champions have since travelled to the London 2012 Olympic course and finalized preparations for this weekend’s competition.
With the K2 200m having been added to the Olympic event roster, Phillips and Bird have quickly established themselves as the best sprint combination over the distance, and qualification for the final – against the European powerhouses from Hungary, Germany and Poland – will be the aim.
From the athletes’ point of view, Poznan will bring nothing but positives for their campaign towards the London Olympics.
“We have everything to gain and will be savouring this experience as it is our first Senior World Championships. Time and again our combination and performance has been tested this season. But the consolidated work in the K2, alongside our dedicated coach Ramon Andersson and the WAIS support staff of Gil, Kevin, Matt, Pete, and Lizzie has helped us jump each hurdle placed before us.We have learned the great benefits of WAIS as a support network, utilising all resources made available to us to close the gap on all the minor percentages,” Phillips and Bird said from Poland.
Despite the pressure the pair has been under in 2010 – Phillips believes it will be the bedrock foundation to Olympic qualification for 2012.
“Steve and I have come a long way this season and have learned many lessons along the way which will place us in great position moving into the 2012 Olympic Games,” he said.
For Bird, the opportunity to pit his wares against the best in the world cannot come quickly enough.
“This will be an exciting event with more than 80 countries competing. Poznan is generally a fast course, although it can be particularly choppy towards the finish line, with cement walls either side of the last 100m. I can’t wait to start racing on Saturday,” he said.
The 2010 World Championships from Poznan, Poland run from 19-22 of this month.
