GB’s new-look squad had a busy day of action at the ICF World Cup in Szeged.
There were two Brits in finals action in the morning session, with Tom Lambert finishing fifth in the men’s C1 500m B final, placing him 14th overall, as he posted a time of 1:54.74.
In the women’s K4 500m B final, the GB quartet of Emily Lewis, Emma Russell, Zoe Clark and Lucy Lee-Smith combined to finish fourth in 1:37.80.
The afternoon saw Dan Johnson win the men’s K1 1000m D final in a time of 3:39.29, edging out France’s Maxime Margely by just over a tenth of a second. Matt Collinge was eighth in the same race.
Emily Lewis finished third in the women’s K1 500m C final, clocking 1:55.74, with compatriot Emma Russell 1.61 seconds behind her in sixth.
The women’s C1 500m B final saw Beth Gill finish ninth in 2:39.38 – she later finished in the same position in her C1 200m heat.
Amy Green and Abi Burgess will compete in Sunday morning’s women’s K1 200m semi-finals after both came through in seventh from their heats.
Zoe Clark and Lucy Lee-Smith qualified for the women’s K2 500m semi-finals after finishing fifth in their heat, clocking 1:49.49 to seal their progress.
In the men’s K1 500m, Collinge narrowly missed out on the semi-finals as he finished fifth in his heat, while Philip Miles was seventh in his to miss out on the next stage.
Head coach Ekaitz Saies said: “Most of the performances we saw today were in line with our expectations. There were some valuable takeaways from yesterday’s races, and overall, the athletes made improvements in the finals on several of the areas we discussed.
“We haven’t yet focused much on high-intensity work, such as anaerobic lactic capacity and power, so we’re still some way from reaching our performance targets. It’s important to remain patient and stay focused on the next steps in the plan.
“I’m really enjoying working with this squad. There’s a lot of potential here, and I’m highly motivated to support these athletes in reaching their goals.
“In terms of performances, this group is at a different stage compared to my previous team. Some of the athletes I was working with just five months ago stood on the podium today, while we still have some ground to cover. Something I’m also enjoying is this squad’s eagerness to improve with every race. They’re open-minded and willing to try new things, such as racing in multiple events with different crews, which is encouraging.
“With significant changes to the Olympic qualification system on the horizon, flexibility and adaptability will be crucial.
“The positive and open attitude they’ve shown so far will be very important as we move forward.“
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