The first Canoe Slalom qualifying event was the 2023 European Games (Kraków, Poland) from 29 June to 2 July 2023. One place each would be available in four of the six events: the men’s and women’s Kayak and Canoe Single (K1 and C1). However, it would not be the top event in the hierarchy, with 15 (K1)/12 (C1) spots available at the World Championship in September. Therefore, the spots earned would be provisional. Ryan Westley would win gold in the Men’s C1, earning GB their first spot in the sport in Paris 2024.
Kraków, the home of the games, also was conveniently home to the country’s national canoe slalom arena: the Kolna Sports Centre. Qualification was automatic for any NOC that wanted to enter, with three athletes each. On the Men’s side, there were three entrants to the K1 event. Christopher Bowers has some individual medals at underage level, and also was part of the British team that won the world championship in 2018 and silver in 2022. Rio 2016 Olympic champion Joe Clarke was joined by Jonny Dickson, who like Bowers had some impressive performances at junior level. There would be two heats: in the first, the top 30 would advance to the semifinal. Dickson was the top Brit, picking up one two-second penalty at the eighteenth gate for a total time of 88.03 and 14th, while Clarke also advanced with two penalties at the fifth and sixth for a total time of 88.56, both comfortably ahead of Poland’s Michal Pasiut in 31st on 90.88. Bowers missed out, with one penalty on the fourth bumping his time up to 91.18, and a rank of 33nd, short of Italian Marcello Beda, who managed a 90.77. The athletes not advancing had to go into a second heat, where only the top ten would advance. Bowers this time had an unblemished run, with his time of 86.99 a significant distance to Ukraine’s Oleksandr Fedorenko on 91.26.
Only the top ten would advance to the final, and it was only Clarke that managed it. A penalty on the fourteenth bumped his time up to 92.29 and he squeaked through in tenth, ahead of Slovenian Peter Kauzer on 92.44. A full miss (50-second penalty) on the 17th scuppered Bowers, who got a time of 140.99, and Dickson had the same on the 12th to get a time of 142.92: thus landing the duo on 35th and 38th respectively.
To the final, and Clarke could have been champion if it wasn’t for a penalty on the first gate: his total time of 89.80 just short of Czechia’s Jiri Prskavec, who got an unblemished 88.21. It was enough for bronze for Clarke, and if a Czech and Swiss athlete got a place in September (as it was the latter’s Martin Dougoud who came second), then Clarke would claim the place from this event, presuming no Brit also qualified.
Three Brits also entered the C1 event. Adam Burgess came 4th in Tokyo 2020, and also had a European silver medal to his name from 2018. James Kettle had some junior team medals to his name, while 2018 European champion and World vice-champion Ryan Westley was also present. This time, in the first heat only the top twenty would go through. Westley would be the best Brit in fifth, with an unblemished 91.77, and Burgess in sixth would also avoid a penalty with a 91.97, both were way ahead of Pole Grzegorz Hedwig in 21st with a 96.24. Kettle picked up three penalties, on the seventh, ninth, and 20th, and his time of 100.23 was only enough for 28th, short of Germany’s Timo Trummer in 20th with 96.06. Thus, Kettle had to go through the second heat, where he was sixth with no penalties and a time of 95.20, well safe of Ireland’s Robert Hendrick in 11th on 99.64.
The top ten would advance from the semifinal, and Burgess was this time the best GB athlete, with a penalty-free 95.89 enough for second. Westley was also safe in sixth, with a slower but also unpenalised 99.21 enough for sixth, clear of Jules Bernardet of France in 11th who managed a 98.14. Penalties on the 10th and 12th put Kettle’s time up to 106.79 as he struggled to keep pace, and was short of Franz Anton on 99.98 in tenth: Kettle’s final ranking was 22nd. To the final, and Westley produced a masterclass, avoiding a penalty with a time of 94.01 seconds, beating Spain’s Miquel Trave (95.16) to gold. Burgess took a penalty on the sixth but was anyway behind with a score of 101.36 enough for seventh. This means Great Britain are guaranteed a place in C1 at the games.
On the women’s side, again starting with the Kayak, a three-strong team entered for GB. 2018 World silver medalist Mallory Franklin headed the team, alongside promising youngster Phoebe Spicer, who had team European medals at U23 level, and 2021 World bronze medalist Kimberley Woods. The top twenty would advance from the first heat into the semifinals. Woods was the top Brit, with penalties on the sixth and fourteenth putting her time up to 97.83, enough for eighth. Franklin wasn’t too far behind, with a slower but unblemished time of 98.23 putting her in eleventh. This was clear of 21st-placed Dutchwoman Lena Teunissen. Spicer picked up penalties at the sixth, seventh, tenth and fourteenth, putting her 33rd with a score of 112.28, short of Ukrainian Viktoriia Us in 20th (101.15). Spicer did enter the second heat, and despite penalties at the seventh, ninth, and eighteenth, her time of 106.36 was still enough for seventh, ahead of Italian Chiara Sabattini in eleventh on 109.77.
The top ten would go through from the semis, and a sole penalty at the fourteenth wouldn’t stop Woods from a time of 103.79 and seventh. Franklin also picked up one at the sixth, but her time of 103.83 was enough for eighth. Both were just clear of eleventh-placed Monica Doria Vilarrubla on 104.94. Spicer also just picked up one penalty (at the eleventh), but a slower progression gave her a total time of 108.82, short of German Ricarda Funk in tenth (104.86). The two Brits that did make the final didn’t challenge: Woods picked up a penalty at the fourteenth and came seventh (107.52), while Franklin picked up one at the tenth and another at the fifteenth for joint-eighth (107.93), both a way behind the victorious Funk on 99.09. As well as the German, athletes from Czechia, Poland, Slovenia and Austria also finished ahead of Woods, so these five countries would need to pick up spots in September if no Brit did.
A familiar cast showed up to the Canoe event. Franklin was a silver medalist at Tokyo 2020 and the 2017 World Champion, while Sophie Ogilvie has a 2022 team World bronze medal. Woods is a 2015 and 2017 European champion in this event.
The top twenty would advance from the first heat, and despite three penalties (on the fourth, eleventh, and twentieth gate), Franklin was seventh with a 105.78. This was ahead of Ukrainian Viktoriia Dobrotvorska in 21st, who managed a 112.81. Ogilvie picked up penalties in the sixth and 13th, demoting her to 23rd, short of Us in 20th (112.42). Woods also picked up two penalties, on the ninth and eleventh, giving her a 120.31 and putting her down in 31st. The top ten would go through from the second heat, and despite penalties at the first and sixteenth, Woods would top the list with 106.49. This put her ahead of Andorran Laura Pellicer Chica in 11th on 117.19. Ogilvie picked up five penalties, on the sixth, eighth, fourteenth, eighteenth, and twentieth, with a score of 124.16, fifteenth, putting her short of Ireland’s Michaela Corcoran (117.04). The top ten advanced from the semis, and Woods just managed it, with a penalty in the eighth giving her 115.36, enough for tenth, just ahead of Slovakia’s Sona Stankovska on 115.86. Woods was 22nd with penalties on the 5th and 8th and a total of 123.66.
Woods was the fastest in the final, but penalties on the 7th, 14th, and 20th gave her a time of 113.63, enough for bronze behind German Elena Lilik on 109.67. With home favourite Klaudia Zwolinska taking silver: if GB missed out in September, and Germany and Poland didn’t, this would be enough.
British athletes could look forward to a World Championships on home soil in London, from 19 to 24 September.
GB Games 