Eckhardt at her best on world stage

HOBART paddler Kate Eckhardt has produced her best performance on the international stage at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup in Augsburg, Germany.

The talented 19-year-old finished sixth in the C1 final on Saturday, an outstanding result in a quality field on a very challenging course.

Australian teammate Jessica Fox bounced back from a disappointing outing seven days earlier to win the event, highlighting her class.

The London and Rio Olympic medallist was one of only two athletes who managed to conquer the challenging course without making a mistake.

The three-time C1 world champion finished 10 seconds ahead of her nearest rival in a major form reversal, after picking up 50-second penalties in C1 and K1 races in Prague just a week ago and failing to earn even a single medal.

“Last week was a bit disappointing, but I came her really motivated and pumped,” Fox said.

“My semi wasn’t perfect but the final went to plan. I had a lot of energy and attacked it everywhere. People were a bit surprised with my results last week, but everyone makes mistakes. It’s about how you learn from them. I think last week was a great learning experience, and this is a new weekend, a new venue, a new race, so it’s a fresh start.”

Lucien Delfour finished eighth in the men’s K1 final.

The ICF second World Cup was to continue overnight with the women’s K1 and the men’s C1 events.