Finals - Prague World Cup

Yesterday was the finals of the first World Cup in Prague. The format was 3 rides 1 counts. We weren't reseeded after each ride which meant, as I had won the semis, I was last up in each round. I was up against some really strong paddlers and despite winning the semis with the highest ride of the ladies competition and getting the 2nd highest scoring ride of the comp in my prelims, I was not confident that I could do it again. As always I didn’t really watch the other rides so I could just concentrate on what I needed to do (and what I could do) rather than what others were doing. 

My first ride was a good one with an air loop and a loop and ends both ways with a clean (I think!) and/or a split wheel – I can’t really remember, but it scored 303.33 points, the highest of the round. I was pleased with the score but it wasn’t as big as my scores in the prelims and semis so I was hoping for more. My other rides though weren’t as high scoring, as although I was consistently landing really straight air loops (see Emily Wall's blog for a good photo of me mid-loop) and loops the clean cartwheels and split-wheels weren’t happening as well as they could have been. So, that was the score for everyone to beat in the following 2 rounds. 

I was still out in front after the 2nd round so in the final round I watched the other competitors to know if I needed to put in a higher scoring ride at the end. After the first 3 paddlers I realised I was going to be in 2^nd or 1^st place and it was just down to whether Emily Jackson scored more than me. Her last ride was a good one though and it looked from above as if she may have landed a McNasty (although its hard to tell when you’re not sat in the judges stand). I followed with my final ride and despite getting a big air loop and another loop I flushed early on my left-hand cartwheels and drifted off downstream a long time before the end of my ride only able to wait to hear the final scores.Bizarrely Emily had scored exactly the same as me: 303.33 so it was down to the 2^nd highest-scoring rides and my 276 points was more than Emily's 220 meaning I won!  Emily Jackson 2^nd, Ruth Gordon 3^rd, Jutta Kaiser 4^th (just 3 points behind Ruth), Adrienne 5^th.

The spectator stands were completely full by the time the men were on for their final. 

There were some really impressive rides, but also some not so impressive rides as for some of the guys the moves just didn’t seem to be happening. Peter Csonka definitely had an impressive ride as he, just like in the semis, pulled off a fluid sequence of moves from one to the next: phonics, Mcnasties, tricky whus both ways and air loops and of course a few split wheels, and carthweels thrown in. 

This was the first round and it was going to be hard to beat the 980 points that Peter scored. 

Peter Csonka McNastying

Nick Troutman had 2 really good rides, but didn’t get quite as many moves landed as Peter had done so he took 2^nd place.

 

Nick Troutman 

EJs rides never seemed to get going to his usual high standard and he took 4th just 3 points behind Mathieu who took the Bronze medal position with lots of cartwheels, splits, cleans and tricky whus. 

I didn’t’ get to watch any of the other finals as I was getting ready for mine, but well done to Lee Pyke (GB) for getting the Bronze in C1.

I’m glad I’m not flying home as I got a really heavy trophy: 

That's mine, that is!