Curtis on track for title

GOLD Coaster Curtis McGrath (pictured) is on track to defend his kayak and canoe world championships after qualifying for the final of both events at the paracanoe world titles in Portugal.

McGrath, who won Paralympic gold in the KL2 kayak when the sport made its Games debut in Rio in 2016, won his heat by almost five seconds yesterday to qualify for tonight’s final. He also progressed to the final of the va’a canoe after winning his heat in the VL3 classification by 3.56sec to progress to tomorrow’s decider.

McGrath, who lost both legs in 2012 after he stepped on an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan, has won two world titles in the kayak class and four in the va’a canoe. He is in strong form after winning the only World Cup this season in both classes.

Fellow Gold Coaster Susan Seipel qualified for the VL2 and KL2 finals.