Canoeists plot rare title treble

Press, 15 April 1986, Page 44

Canoeists plot rare title treble

By KEVIN TUTTY lan Ferguson and Paul MacDonald, who have helped transform canoeing from a Cinderella to a prestige sport in New Zealand, have their hearts set on a rare treble at the world canoeing championships in Montreal from August 20 to 24. Ferguson and MacDonald teamed to win the K2 500 m gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics two years ago and last year at the world championships in Hazewinkel, Belgium, they completed a double by winning the same event This year the pair have set their hearts on a third successive title in

the K2 500. At Los Angeles the highly regarded Russian and East German crews -

were absent, supporting an Eastern bloc boycott, but they were present in Belgium last year and had to bow to the power and precision of the New Zealand pair. Ferguson, who was in Christchurch yesterday after competing in a white-water canoe event in North Canterbury on Sunday, said he and MacDonald were determined to win the pair event. The K2 500 and K 4 1000 were the two priorities for Ferguson at the world championships. The New Zealand crew — Ferguson, MacDonald, Alan Thompson and Grant Bramwell — won the K 4 event at Los Angeles, but at the world

, championships last year finished eighth in a ninei boat final. ] Ferguson admitted that r was a disappointing r result The training of the four-man New Zealand team has been tar1 geted at success in the ' K 4 race this year. 1 “We lost the race in f the first 109 m last year. 1 We did not get away ■ from the start fast * enough and were unable to catch up the ground I we lost i “This year we have s altered our training to go for more power and ' strength. That has in- , volved a lot more weight I training.” i The K 4 is regarded as i the blue riband event of I canoeing, the same as

the eight is in rowing, and the New Zealanders are set on achieving what they did in Los Angeles. Sweden, second to New Zealand at the 1984 Olympics, won the K 4 1090 world championship last year with a time three seconds faster than New Zealand’s winning effort in Los Angeles, but the New Zealanders are confident they will be able to match that time this year. New Zealand had a team of six men at the world championships last year, but it has been trimmed to four this year — the K 4 crew. For the first time a women’s team win com-

pete at the world championships. They are Elizabeth Blencoe, Denise . Higgison, Julie Gimblett and Kathy Tracey. The canoeists will have an extensive buildup to the world championships. They will compete in an international regatta in Duisburg, West Germany, in late June, and in another regatta in Denmark two weeks later where they will meet the Russian and East German teams. After the world championships there is a Commonwealth regatta in Vancouver which might be the forerunner to a regular Commonwealth championship.