The Paddler Magazine Issue 61 Late Summer 2021 | Page 112

ThePADDLER 112
Mike Shaw
Below : Issie Wormall
JUNIORS With Ottie only recently moving up to the senior category , it remained to see who might take up her mantle in the juniors . Thankfully that void is filling , with three strong contenders , any of whom could have taken it in the final . Jackson Kayak ’ s little shredder Issie Wormall took gold on the day , her years of coaching and hard work paying off as she saw off her older rivals with a ride of loops , space Godzillas and McNasties . The junior ladies are a group to watch and will be fiercely competitive leading up to the world .
The junior men ’ s competition was a battle between Toby Marlow and Ben Higson . Toby finished first with a ride of 1,790 points . He will have his eyes set on competing for a senior men ’ s team spot at the following selection event – and only a fool would bet against him .
In the Men ’ s C1 , Matt Stephenson ( who also made the Men ’ s K1 final with a phenomenal ride just shy of 2k ) displayed his prowess with one blade , edging out the competition to claim the top spot . Veterans of their field James Ibbotson and Adam Ramadan finished in second and third , respectively .
In the OC1 Category , a peculiar discipline where athletes compete in open-cockpit canoes , the biggest move tends to be the order of the day . C1 specialist Adam Ramadan was edged out of the top spot by Chris Noble , who ultimately proved victorious .
The next event on the freestyle calendar will be the European Championships near Paris at the new Olympic whitewater stadium . After that , it will be the ( deferred from 2021 ) Worlds , back in the land of Robin Hood at Nottingham from June 28th to July 3rd 2022 .
TEAM SELECTION The team selection event to represent team Great Britain takes place in Nottingham on 23-24 October 2021 ; spectators are welcome .
As events on that huge Saturday in September show , those big-name paddlers from the broader world of freestyle are going to have to bring it to Nottingham next year if they ’ re to have a chance of edging out the likes of Ottie , Harry , Gav and Rob . One almost feels sorry for them .
If you wish to stay updated with GB Freestyles exploits , come and spectate or compete yourself , then head to www . gbfreestylekayaking . co . uk or check out the following social media . https :// www . facebook . com / GBFreestyleKayaking Instagram . @ gbfreestyle