After a difficult race at the first World Cup round in Prague, Team Ireland canoeists lined up again in Germany for the next World Cup. As the last major race before this summer's Olympic Games, it was an essential benchmark for Liam Jegou to test his form in the C1 Men before getting on the plane to Tokyo.
After a solid performance in the qualification round to progress through to the semi-final, Liam opened up in the semis to qualify through to the finals in 7th. Showing some great attacking racing which we can look forward to in Tokyo, Liam went on to finish 6th in the final, incurring time penalties down the course, which kept him from a spot on the podium. This significant marker of raw pace is a perfect boost of momentum heading into the Olympics, with the stage being set for an excellent result for the Irish paddler.
Jake Cochrane in action in the C1 Men
Also racing in the C1 Men, Jake Cochrane emphasised his current good form making his second consecutive semi-final, finishing eventually in 28th. In the C1 Women, Michaela Corcoran, daughter of Irish Canoeing Olympian Mike Corcoran, made her first-ever Senior Semi-final, finishing in 23rd. For the Irish K1 team, it was another difficult weekend of racing, with Noel Hendrick and Alistair McCreery missing out
