Britain’s Tokyo-bound slalom canoeists capitalised on their return to racing at the European Championships in Ivrea, Italy.
The women led the way with Team GB’s Kimberley Woods reaching individual finals in both K1 and C1 and taking two medals in the team competitions for the Olympic disciplines.
The 25-year-old emerged from Sunday’s semis as the fastest in the C1 field and looked poised for the podium after outsplitting the rest by 3.30s at the first checkpoint.
But in canoeing, milliseconds count and inches are the unit of measurement and a touch on the 17th and 20th gates of a fiendishly difficult course cost her a fourth European medal.
“I’m pretty gutted, so close yet so far to that podium,” said Woods.
“I am happy to be in the final in both boats, especially in the C1 as I haven’t trained as much in that boat.
“The fact I got the quickest time of the day in the semi-finals shows I’ve worked so hard during this last year.
“I wasn’t quite there on my final but to know I’ve got the speed in both C1 and my Olympic boat is great”
Britain and Spain were the only two countries to carry more than one competitor into the final and 2017 world champion Mallory Franklin eskimo rolled her way to sixth.
Both Woods and Franklin are accomplished in canoe and kayak with the former also placing fifth in the K1 event.
Woods, from Rugby, took a touch on the final gate when seeking late speed and missed out on a medal by 1.38s, less than the two seconds that were deducted.
The women struck gold in the K1 team event, building on their victory at the 2019 World Championships, and silver in the C1 team meant they have medalled at five successive European Championships.
Woods and Franklin were joined by Fiona Pennie in K1 and Sophie Ogilvie in C1.
There was plenty of encouragement for Olympians-in-waiting Bradley Forbes-Cryans and Adam Burgess in the men’s events.
Forbes-Cryans was second-fastest in the heats but missed out on the K1 final, in which Joe Clarke finished ninth.
Burgess faced the same fate as his semi-final run of 92.42 was just 0.16s shy of a top ten time.
“I can 100% take positives from this weekend,” said Burgess.
“I’ve got some experience of racing again and had two pretty good performances other than some little mistakes so lots to take forward to Tokyo. Mentality and physicality felt spot on.”
Sportsbeat 2021