The 2010 ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup Moves onto Duisburg, Germany

The 2010 ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup Moves onto Duisburg, Germany

We are coming to the end of the 2010 ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup already. For this, the final round, the troops make their way to Duisburg, Germany. Starting Friday 4th June, both World and Olympic champions will meet at the Sportpark, Duisburg. Kayak and Canoe athletes from 40 nations will use these three days as the final international warm-up for the 2010 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Poznan, Poland.

As with all the other World Cups, racing will be held over 200m, 500m and 1000m. This time, the competition will open with the quick-fire round of the 200m events. Hosted as a post-work Friday night spectacular, the organisers in Duisburg are expecting big crowds to add to the already electric atmosphere of the sprints. From 19.00 the banks of the regatta course will turn into a beer garden for spectators to relax while cheering on the 200m athletes as the finals unfold in front of them.

Joining the party will be a DJ and a barbecue will add a touch of summer to the Canoe Party. Otto Schulte, President of the Organising Committee, promises the best in both sport and entertainment; "The 200m Canoe Sprint action works really well in making the audience into a party, primarily because the boats zip along in front of the crowd who can experience the race first hand." It's the first time this kind of party environment has been tried at a World Cup. "We want to show what a great sport Canoe is," Schulte concluded.

So far in the World Cup Rankings, in the Men's K1 Individual events, Belarussian Aleh Yurenia is the young rookie leading the pack, shortly followed by Adam van Koeverden (CAN). Max Hoff (GER), looking strong and very much on form, took gold in Vichy putting him in third place. Back in the World Cups this weekend, he could make his way up the rankings. Max is sharing his third place with compatriot, Ronny Rauhe and Ed McKeever (GBR) both 200m specialists. Let's see what the weekend will bring for these guys.

In the Men's C1 Individual events, another Belarussian is leading. Dzianis Harazha has a total of 17 points. In joint first is multi-talented Mathieu Goubel (FRA). His adaptability between distances, proven in Szeged, make him a real contender for this year's Ranking title. Szeged's 200m winner, Lubomir Hagara is currently in third place. With the German team back, his position is looking tenuous as Sebastian Brendel sits just two points behind in fourth place.

Over to the Women's K1 Individual, Natasa Janic's performance in Szeged secured her the top spot at this midway stage, not bad considering she didn't compete in the first World Cup. Hot on her heels though is Portuguese star, Teresa Portela, sitting just two points behind. In third place is Australian Jo Bridgen-Jones. Competing in all distances, Jo is getting good practice in race conditions and it is apparently paying off.

In the team events, France are leading the Men's Kayak events after taking gold and silver in the K2 200m and two silvers in the K2 and K4 1000m. The battle will commence this weekend as Hungary and Germany are in hot pursuit in second and third place respectively. In the Canoe, Poland are leading with a no less than eight points clear of second placed Hungary and 13 points clear of thirdplaced Belarus. In the Women's Team events, Germany leads but Poland and Portugal are not far behind.

Nationally, this World Cup will act as Germany's qualifiers into the European and World Championships. One of the most eagerly awaited duels will be between the reigning German champion, Jonas Ems and the Olympic champion Ronny Rauhe. In the Women's K2 200m, Fanny Fischer and Nicole Reinhardt will be battling it out. They will be watching each other as well as the other international contenders. When it comes to reigning Men's K1 1000m World Champion, theGerman Canoe Federation (DKV) says that Max Hoff is in shape and one of the safest German medal hopes.

Speaking at last weekend's World Cup in Szeged, many athletes are looking forward to Duisburg. Ken Wallace (AUS) compared it to Szeged; "Duisburg is always a really good regatta, there are always the top guys that go there as well... it's the pre-World Championships, I guess." Keep watching www.canoeicf.com for daily updates and results.

For the official event website, visit www.kanuduisburg.de.

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