The 2011 World Championships finished up last Saturday with a refreshing break from the usual dominance of North American paddlers with British winners in both the senior men's and senior women's classes. Pringle, James Bebbingtion took top spot in the senior men's class with a 1070 point ride to leave Peter Csonka in second place with 1020 points. Stephen Wright finished off the podium places in third. Claire O Hara took two gold medals at this year World Championships successfully defending her Women's Squirt Title and adding the Senior Women's Title defeating Emily Jackson with a 660 point ride.This was my first worlds and second international event after the European Championships last year so from the outset my aim was to improve on my placing last year of 42nd where nerves got the better of me in my first big event. Having arrived in Plattling almost a month before worlds i had loads of time to train at all levels before it got to busy. So by the time team training came around a few days before worlds i felt pretty well prepared for prelims. The day before men's prelims were set to begin we found out that due to the possibility of the feature flooding out Prelims for all classes would take place on Wednesday. That left a seven am start in the senior Men's class with Ireland's David O Sullivan starting off the prelim's joined by Thomas Dunphy in the first heat. My heat was one of the last leaving me being the last Irish senior K1 to compete. In the eddy just before my heat i was feeling good and looking forward to it with the level just over 200 being pretty much perfect.
I got through a lot of tricks in my first ride but didn't manage to score everything flushing twice on a left felix coming out with 280 points. Still feeling good i paddled on for my second ride slowed things down a bit and managed to get through more of my ride. I flushed on my mcnasty but managed to paddled back up the eddy and throw two big space godzillas but flushing on the second one after plugging to high in the green. My second ride left me with 416 point leaving me with a two ride total of 696.
When all the heats finished up i was left in 30th place missing the cut for quarters by five places or 60 points. I took a lot out of this worlds as its the first competition i properly prepared for with good training and a solid ride plan and it paid off as it was my best performance score wise since i starting competing two years ago.
The rest of the Irish put in solid performances in there respective classes with the top placed Irish paddler Billy Brett making it to the semi finals of the Junior Men and coming away with 8th place. Conor Macken and Robbie O'Shea placed 21st and 22st respectively in the Junior Class along side Billy. In the Junior Women's Class Caoimhe Farrell and Niamh Cleary placed 17th and 19th. In Senior Men Thomas Dunphy and David O Sullivan took 39th and 44th place with Brian Cahill and Ronan Brennen taking 47th and 54th place respectively. Orky took very respectable 13th place in C1 just missing out on the semi finals.
So that's about it for Worlds, great event and looking forward to NOC in two years time. I left Plattling on Monday evening to start the long trek to Norway to switch up my paddling with a few weeks of creaking, almost there now after some of car trouble along the way.Levels are are close to flooding in Voss right now with some big wave surfing to be had.......
