Canoeists win five medals

Press, 16 August 1988, Page 22

Canoeists win five medals

NZPA Wellington The New Zealand canoeing team won five medals, including three golds, at the Nykoping regatta in Sweden during the week-end. The team manager, Bill Garlick, described the haul as “fantastic” in a competition likely to be “as strong” as the Seoul Olympic regatta. He said the two strongest European canoeing nations, East Germany, at full strength, and Hungary, competed. “The only world power not here was the United States,” he said. "And with each nation allowed two entries per event, as opposed to one per event

at the Olympics, some of the competition we faced was as tough, if not tougher, than the Olympics,” Mr Garlick said. The Los Angeles gold medallists, Paul MacDonald and lan Fergusson, collected all three New Zealand golds.

The duo quinellaed the KI (one person) 500 m, reigning world champion MacDonald crossing a boat length ahead of Fergusson, the Olympic champion, with “daylight" to the third placegetter.

Mr Garlick said the result maintained MacDonald’s hold on the KI 500 m berth in Seoul. “It was a continuation of his current superiority in the event,” Mr Garlick said. “It

would take a dramatic form reversal for him to lose it.” The duo then combined tb take the K2 (two person) 500 and 1000 m events, by “very, very clear margins,” Mr Garlick said; The other medal was won by the young K 4 crew of Steven Richards, Grant Bramwell, Brent Clode and John MacDonald in the nonOlympic 500 m event. "They took the silver in a photo ■ finish,” Mr Garlick said. The K 4 crew could finish only seventh in the Olympic 1000 m event.

“But they really lifted their act today (Sunday),” Mr Garlick said.