The men ’ s K1 1000m was also one of the weekend ’ s highlights as Charlie Smith put in the performance of a lifetime to claim victory and put himself in contention for Tokyo selection events . With a race plan to stick with Tom Lusty for as long as he could , Charlie put in a burst of form in the final 100m to claim victory .
11
Deborah Kerr
They will be joined by Stewart Clark who will compete in the VL2 after three solid performances .
He will be looking to qualify his quota place and individual berth for the postponed Games .
The canoe sprint athletes were looking to claim a place on the British team , which will head out to the ICF European Selection event in Szeged , Hungary 12-13 May and the ICF Global qualifying event in Barnaul , Russia 21-22 May , in order to secure their berths for the postponed Tokyo Olympic Games .
At the Selection Event , it was the case of the flying scotswoman as Deborah Kerr dominated the women ’ s kayak events .
With a change of coach and new mindset , Deborah Kerr was the winner in the K1 200m on Saturday before backing it up with victories in the K1 500m and K2 500m with partner Rebii Simon .
“ In 2016 I was heartbroken not to get to the second round of selection , even though I was only 18 . This is about me saying to my 18-year-old self that I can get to that next step and we ’ ll just go from there ” Deborah Kerr
Deborah will now go onto Szeged with her sights set on a Tokyo spot .
Katie Reid ( Forth ) took the top spot in the women ’ s C1 200m event , putting clear water between her and second place Afton Fitzhenry ( Belfast Canoe Club ) to book her place in Hungary where Tokyo selection opportunities are up for grabs in the new Olympic event .
Afton returned in the C2 500m along with Chloe Bracewell ( Lincoln ) and posted a time of 2:04:91 as they looked to book their spot in Szeged next month and with nothing the lose , the duo will be looking to secure a place in the event which also makes its Olympic debut in Tokyo .
Rio 2016 Olympic Champion Liam Heath ( Wey ) put down a strong performance in his season opener , recording an impressive time of 34.03 in the K1 Men ’ s 200m , finishing ahead of Lewis Fletcher ( Linlithgow ) and Dan Atkins ( Reading ).
Liam , who has already been selected by Team GB for the Tokyo Olympic Games was pleased with his performance .
“ It was a solid effort today . I ’ m just relieved to be back out racing – being an athlete , competing is what it ’ s all about . Liam Heath
Charlie Smith
Canoe Focus Late Spring 2021