Paddlers from Stafford and Stone Canoe Club put in strong performances at the canoe slalom World Cup event in Pau in the Pyrenees, perfect preparations for the world championships in London in September.
Having completed her C1W final, fast-improving 22-year-old Jasmine Royle then had to watch the rest of the race from third place. It was only the final competitor, Spain’s Nuria Vilarrubla, who rocketed into first place and pushed Royle down to fourth, agonisingly close to the medals.
Sticking to a clear and simple plan on a highly inconsistent course made the difference for Royle. And double points for her in the World Cup season’s finale elevated her to a highly respectable ninth in the C1W standings.
“To be ninth in the overall standings is pretty amazing, definitely a best for me,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting to be that high up because I hadn’t made the senior team this year so I was only meant to do two World Cups.”
Royle had finished third on the 2013 World Cup in Bratislava but the main difference this year has been a consistency which has seen her make finals in all three of her World Cups.
“I’m proud to have finalled at all the World Cups this year; in Prague, La Seu d’Urgell last week where I was second in the semi, and now this week,” she added. “This year, I’ve had a lot of time to focus on myself and made big improvements which are definitely paying off. Because it was such a hard course with lots of spins we had a clear plan for today’s race. It was a case of sticking to that plan as much as I could and if I went off line to try and stay calm and get back to that plan. I’m really grateful to my family who came out to see me at the last minute and to my sponsors, FMS Car and Truck and Hydra Sports, for helping to make this possible.”
In the Women’s K1, the best performance of the event came courtesy of London 2012 Olympian Lizzie Neave (Stafford & Stone). She finished eighth in the final, her best World Cup result in more than two years and had two top four finishes in runs along the way.
Pleased to make the final, but disappointed with her eighth place, Lizzie said: “I am definitely happy to have made the final but it would have been better if I hadn’t made such a big mistake early on. At gate two I span out and missed the gate, so I had to go back which cost me about four seconds.
“We will go back to Lee Valley, London, now for a bit more training before tapering off for the Worlds, moving into more quality work. I am really excited to have the Worlds on my home course. I have had a number of runs this season when I have been in the top three and I just hope I can put a good run down when it counts.”
Best of the Brits in the men’s C1 semi-final was another under-23 athlete from Stafford & Stone, Adam Burgess, who finished fifteenth. Afterwards he admitted to being painfully close to the top 10 cut-off for the final, but was generally thrilled with his style and delivery.
“That was my best senior performance of the year so far and without the touches it would have been a comfortable top 10,” said a delighted Burgess afterwards. “Today there were some big feature moves, big crunch moves , which is what split everyone up. But that’s what I was happy with today; there was a move on 18 to 19 that was pretty tough and I delivered it on the first run.”
Burgess added that a supportive crowd of friends and family made the difference, and he’s hoping for even more British support to lift him further when the World Championships come to Lee Valley in September.
“To produce my best performance today is good momentum coming into the Worlds and I’m really excited about London,” he said. “Even out here today with our support you can feel the extra weight behind your paddles. Hearing everyone shouting for you does make a difference and I hope we can get even more of that at the Worlds.”
Burgess also paddled in the C2M with Greg Pitt (also Stafford & Stone) but was not successful in passing on to Semi Finals.
Joe Clarke (Stafford & Stone) finished his World Cup season seventh overall on the men’s K1 after unusually missing the finals with an eighteenth semi-finals place.
“Today’s race was tough and the two penalties took me me out of the final,” said 22-year-old Clarke. “Otherwise I think if I had made that final, with the guys ahead of me on the World Cup series running into this race not making it, then it would have pushed me up and it would have almost guaranteed me a third place. It’s very frustrating but to get seventh place shows me how consistent my season has been. And this race has been really good preparation for the World Championships at Lee Valley. I can’t wait for them and I feel in a good place to perform there with a good home crowd helping push me down the river.”
In the Team Event, GB and all of the Stafford and Stone Athletes finally managed to get on the podium with a Win in Men’s Canoe Doubles Team, second in Men’s Kayak Team, second Women’s Canoe Team and third in Men’s Canoe Team and third in Women’s Kayak Team.
