Annabel Hutchinson and Mollie Ball earnt their first international marathon medals today. Bronze at the Marathon World Championships.
Competing over 19km the junior women’s K2 opened today’s racing. Hutchinson (Reading) and Ball (Devizes) were joined on the start line by British team mates Sienna Payne (Chelmsford) and Kamila Sklenarova (Norwich).
The Reading, Devizes duo secured a V wash position towards the back of the lead group off the line. They kept the pace with the leaders as a group of six crew boats broke away around lap one.
They were looking strong in third place going into lap two, establishing a good pace in the leading group.
Further back in the field Payne and Sklenarova led the chasing group.
As the pace quickened coming into the first portage, Hutchinson and Ball put the effort in to break away with three other crews. Going left on the portage when the rest went right, they had a clear get out and were second back in the water.
The Hungarian crew made a break after the portage and throughout lap three the Brits sat in a chase group of five.
The second portage offered the opportunity for Annabel and Mollie to break away with the South African boat.
The two crews worked together well to confirm those medal positions in lap four. It was a sprint for the finish, with the duo coming away with bronze. First time international marathon medals for both athletes. They crossed the line with a time of 1:24:39.
Speaking after their race Mollie said: “I was really pleased with our race today as I was not expecting a medal. To come away with a bronze feels a bit like a dream.
“The race itself was tough, but Annabel put us in some really good positions. We ran well through the portages which meant we could stay with the South Africans and hold on for a bronze.”
Annabel continued: “Together with the South Africans, we got away from the rest of the group after the second portage. At that point, as there was a strong group chasing us, I knew that we needed to stay with the South Africans to be in a medal position.
“The first lap was quite intense, there was a lot of pushing going on, but we managed to find some good washes.”
The Norwich, Chelmsford duo, hot off racing in the K1 long course yesterday, led the chase group the majority of the five long laps.
They broke away to power to the finish line and earned an impressive seventh best in the world.
They crossed the line with a time of 1:26:15.
Today also saw more paracanoe races at the World Championships.
Tim Lodge (Wey) took to the start line in the men’s KL3, with fellow Brit Jon White (Exeter) joining him for a combined start with the KL2 category.
Lodge had a brilliant start and pulled away off the line in a group of three. He was joined by Keirel of France competing in the same class as him and Austrian paddler Swoboda from the KL2 class.
Towards the end of the first lap the Wey Paddler started to drop back and continued to power around the 11.8km course solo.
He earnt a strong silver to add to an impressive collection of international medals. He crossed the line with a time of 0:59:06.
Speaking to Tim after his race he said: “It’s been a great trip. We had more athletes [competing] than we’ve ever seen in the para classes, 37 across the board.
“It was a really enjoyable race, it’s nice to race on a river…there were some quick guys and some new paddlers coming in because it will be a part of the official World Championships next year in Hungary so there is more interest growing in marathon para.
“Physically my disability has been deteriorating rapidly and I’ve had to do less training this past year. But I’ve done a lot of work in terms of my mindset and focusing on the enjoyment rather than any external outcomes and today has been testament to that.”
It was a similar story for Jon White who also endeavoured around the three large laps and final short lap alone for the majority of his race.
With a wealth of paddling experience internationally, White proved his efforts were not in vain as he secured a brilliant bronze in the men’s KL2. Even more impressive when you consider that he was the only competitor with upper body limb loss.
He clocked a time of 1:06:59 and speaking after his race he said:
“I was quite worried coming out here, after picking up an injury a week after the European Championships. It meant my preparation for this hasn’t been the best. I managed to deliver the best performance that I could have today.
“It was a bumpy start, the guy next to me had a swim off the start line and almost collided with me which made me a little bit nervous so it took me a while to settle into my rhythm.
“Through the marathon and surf ski scene, my army background and because of my injuries and what I’m doing within kayaking I’m quite noticeable as a competitor. But what that has given me is a massive sense of community that I really enjoy.”
It was a spectacular yet agonising fourth place for Greta Roeser in the U23 women’s K1 long course.
After an exceptional year racing internationally last year in the junior age group, this was Roeser’s first international race as a U23. She rose to the occasion from the start, securing a lead side wash position.
She sat comfortably in the lead group around the opening laps and put in the hard work by taking up plenty of leads.
The leading group of seven came in quick to the first portage and Roeser managed to keep her transitions clean and kept in touch with the Hungarians leading out into lap three.
The group stayed together around lap three which caused a commotion between three boats on the left side of the pontoon get out on the second portage. The Wey paddler managed to avoid the disruption and made up a few places on the run.
Laps four and five saw her maintain a strong position in the lead group.
When the opportunity to break away in a group of four, with the two Hungarians and the Danish athletes, arose after the fourth portage she looked comfortable putting that distance in between them and the chasers.
After the final portage the Hungarian duo quickly confirmed the top two positions after making a break.
It was a tense final short lap with Greta neck and neck with the Danish boat. A sprint for the finish decided it with less than a second between third and fourth.
An outstanding race that saw her complete the 22.6km in 1:46:23.
Speaking after her race she said: “I had no expectations for the race and I loved it. It was a good race and there was nothing that I could have done better.
“I like that the race was on a river, as the flow and the bend in the river can lead to different tactics which suit my style of racing. It was a pleasure to mix it up with the lead group.”
Tim Dowden closed today’s racing with a 13th place finish in a stacked U23 men’s K1 long course.
The Norwich paddler had an optimal start position that allowed him to get in amongst the large leading group that formed off the line.
It was an unsettled start, Dowden charged into the lead V wash but was quickly challenged.
With plenty of movement within the group he had to fight hard for a comfortable position around the opening laps.
It was a crowded lead group coming into the first portage but Tim managed to navigate his transitions well.
Seven boats led by Denmark’s Knudson started to break away after the first portage and Dowden wasn’t quite able to keep pace.
He held strong in the midfield for the remaining laps and finished in a respectable 13th with a time of 1:54:10.
Racing continues tomorrow morning with the senior women’s K1 long course from 7:15 BST.
Make sure to follow the Marathon Racing Committee social media pages for updates on all races over the next three days.