2008 WUC Flat Water Canoeing: Day 2 - Semi-Finals
September 20th, 2008
Regardless of the fact that weather conditions were not suiting the hosts, the second competition day of the 3rd World University Championship had its heroes. Altogether, eleven semi-finals races were paddled, and they completely lived up to the expectations. Saturday’s races were a second chance for the majority of competitors who could not get to the finals through the first day qualifiers. Races in the morning program were uncertain and exciting 1,000 m races. In four half-finals, we have seen even three triumphs of the national team members, so the competitors from this country completely dominated the Saturday’s 1,000 m competitions.
In the afternoon part of the program, the half-final 500 m races were rowed, seven races altogether, in which competitors from Slovakia joined the domination of the Czech Republic national team members. Interesting information is that finals will have representatives from 13 countries who won their place in the finals yesterday. Apart from the competitors from the Czech Republic (altogether 6 first places), the most successful on the second competition day were the Serbian and Slovakian national team members, whose competitors secured participation in final disciplines. What was especially interesting concerns the Serbian national team, which is hosting world class competition. “PLAVI” had representatives in 13 disciplines, and only one crew did not get through to the finals, so Serbian athletes will have even 12 crews in the final disciplines in final of the event as well as a nice chance to win a medal. That would be the first time in its history when this type of competition is concerned.
Magdalena Krukowska (POL) reached the participation in the K1-500m women finals. With the time 1:59.473, she came in first, leaving behind her direct competitors, Jana Sebestova from the Czech Republic (1:59.718) and Shauna Braithwaite from Great Britain (2:03.143). All three competitors will race in the great final. ‘I am very happy for this success, said Krukowska, who could not hide her smile. I expected the final as early as in the qualifiers, but I was not lucky. I was concentrated for this semi-final race and I tried my best. Everything is still possible and I hope to achieve a good place, maybe even a medal, why not’, concluded Krukowska. Rokas Malinauskas from Lithuania won the race in the last meters. Several meters before the finish line, he overtook Strelchanko from Belarus and thus triumphed in the semi-final single 500 m race. Together with Malinauskas and Strelchenko, Piotr Siemionowski from Poland also reached the K1-500m final, paddling in third. ‘I have to admit that this was an uncertain closing part where I used the final meters to win the first place. I succeeded in improving the rhythm with the last several rows, which turned out to be a great success. I am very happy for this success and I hope for a good result in today’s finals’, said Malinauskas.
Klara Ballova and Jana Sebestoiva from Czech Republic won the K2-500 m semi-final. ‘Tactically, we did our best semi-final. From the beginning, we had an equable rhythm. We did not mind other competitors and we believed that we could get through to the finals. Finally, we succeeded’, said Ballova after the race. During the second day we asked the President of the Serbian Flat Water Canoeing Federation to give us his impression of this championship. ‘I’m very pleased with the way the competition is working out so far. As a retired athlete, what’s most important for me is to ensure that the competing athletes are satisfied, that the starting blocks are functioning as they should, that the tracks are good, that the races are on schedule, that athletes have the necessary facilities to train properly. In my time, when I trained and actively competed, these things were important to me, and so today I try my best to provide for the athletes as the President of the Association and as an important part of the organization process. I am pleased to see our team scoring good results, 8 finals so far. I hope to see some of them on the medal podium’, said Mirko Nisovic, President of the Serbian Canoe Federation and Championship Manager.
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