CANOEING
Triple world canoe slalom champion David Florence fired an early warning to his Olympic rivals in Tokyo next year by claiming his second Australian Open title in Penrith yesterday.
The 36-year-old Scot, who also won in 2017, improved steadily from eighth-fastest in Friday’s C1 heats to fourth-quickest in yesterday’s semis.
Florence saved his best for the final, posting a leading time of 95.11secs to finish 1.59 ahead of Frenchman Martin Thomas for his first victory since last June’s Krakow World Cup.
Three other paddlers had the chance to overtake him but Czech Lukas Rohan was the only one to get close in fifth place.
“Most of the best guys in the world were racing here, so it was a really highquality startlist,” said Florence.
“The semi-final was really tight with loads of fast runs, so I was pleased to make the final. My run in the final was really good apart from the two-second penalty.
“The touch (on gate 12) was a bit careless, but I was pleased to have a fast run and really glad that it was good enough to take the victory.”
Fellow Scots Eilidh Gibson and Bradley Forbes-cryans will try to follow their mentor’s example when they compete in today’s C1 and K1 semi-finals. Gibson was 12th in Friday’s qualifiers in her first race since returning from a serious shoulder injury, while Forbes-cryans went seventh-fastest in his heat.