David Florence proved he still has what it takes after powering to World Cup 2 gold in the men’s canoe slalom single in Poland.
The three-time Olympic silver medallist clocked 83.86s in Krakow, holding off Slovakia’s Alexander Slafkovsky by 0.27s and Czech Republic’s Michel Jane by 0.56s.
It is Florence’s first World Cup medal since 2015 and the 35-year-old insists he has shown he can still compete at the top after producing the fastest times in the heats and semi-final.
“I am incredibly pleased to be back on the podium and a bit relieved to be honest. I have felt like I have paddled so well in recent times but just not got the rewards,” he said.
“The guys in Britain are so strong now that winning selection in itself was a great achievement, but winning the semi-finals at Europeans and coming away with nothing and then missing the final at the first World Cup last week was pretty disappointing.”
It was a positive day for Britain, with Ryan Westley and Adam Burgess also reaching the final – finishing sixth and eighth respectively.
Both made minor errors in the final and could not live with Florence, who says tunnel vision helped him block out what others were doing.
“I didn’t know how the race was going and I don’t really find it makes a lot of odds,” he added.
“Sometimes if the final is not going well for the other guys it can seem like it should be easy to do it, but you still have to put in a good run.
“And sometimes if it is really tight you try to chase it too much. It doesn’t really matter how the other guys are going it is all about yourself and focusing from gate to gate and doing a good run, which is what I managed to do today.
“I have enjoyed training here this week but when they set the course yesterday most people thought it looked pretty brutal.
“I am not saying I found it easy but I felt I had prepared well and was able to give it my best shot.” Sportsbeat 2018