Home

One long waiting with a little sad ending - that is a way to characterize the finals of women kayaks in the World Cup series in Prague - Troja. Irena Pavelkova had been among the best for a long time, in the end she finished close to the medal positions, fourth. Twofold Olympic medal winner, Stepanka Hilgertova, made a big mistake in the finals end ended tenth.

"The medal was close, but fourth place is fourth place." said Pavelkova in the interview for the Czech television.

When she finished her run without a penalty with a time 105.28, she was just tensely watching her opponents. After finishing, she had a second fastest time and all but the last two competitors always placed behind her. But there were still two competitors waiting - the former World Champion Jana Dukatova and French kayaker Carole Bouzidi. She thought she would not be among the first three. "Dukatova rarely makes mistakes and Bouzidi has shown very fast runs so far, so I thought I was going to be fourth." admitted Czech thirty-eight-year-old kayaker. "I am a little disappointed, but I am also quite glad for the fourth place."

Very soon the expectations for a good result of Stepanka Hilgertova were ruined.The twofold Olympic winner has made a big mistake in the beginning of the course, when she did not pass the fourth gate, therefore was charged with fifty seconds. "I thought, I was going there more straightly than in the first run, so if I wouldn't push it, I would have lost a lot of time. So I probably pushed too hard and it was over after the fourth gate." admitted the fourth woman kayaker in London. The rest of the course she did not completely slow down, though. "I wanted to go well. It is a duty in front of the spectators. And I hope it si a messgae to the young generation, that you just don't give up the run." added fourty-four-year-old Czech kayaker.

Women kayak finals were taken over by Slovakian kayaker Jana Dukatova with a time 103.27. The only faster time was performed by a German competitor Carole Funke, however, she stroke a pole once, for which she only deserved the bronze medal. Second as Carole Bouzidi, a French kayaker.

Slovenian Ursa Kragelj, fifth in the World Cup event in Prague, became the overall World Cup leader, especially due to the absence of a Spanish kayaker Maialen Chourraut, who is currently second. Elizabeth Neave, eighth in the World Cup finals in Prague, deserves the third place in the overall standings of the World Cup series. The winner of the today's finals, jana Dukatova from Slovakia, is seventh in the overall standings, thanks to the sixty points acquired after the win in the Prague event, and due to the absence in the last World Cup event in La Seu d'Urgell.