~ Paralympic debut dream for Hungary's rising star Peter Kiss who wins men's kayak single 200m KL1 on first day of canoe sprint competition; while Great Britain's Emma Wiggs, Australia's Curtis McGrath and Ukraine's Serhii Yemelianov all claim impressive victories on Day 10 at Tokyo 2020.
"VAN" (Sports Desk - Tokyo2020 - 04.09.2021) :: Hungary’s rising star in canoe sprint, Peter Kiss, was the favourite going into the men’s kayak single 200m KL1, and he didn’t disappoint winning the first gold medal of the competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
The 18-year-old, who is already a world and two-time European champion, led from start and crossed the line to beat the Paralympic best time that he had set in the heats in 45.44. "It's a wonderful feeling to be here, and to win almost every competition in the last three years. It's a dream come true," said Kiss.
"Everyone wants to be the favourite, and I didn't want to sleep on anything, so I had to just do my best, finding my time, and it ended up that I set a Paralympic record by almost three seconds. It's definitely really great. Obviously there is more to come, but I feel like the work I've been doing with my coach has already paid off."
The victory on his Games’ debut was nearly three seconds ahead of nearest rival, six-time world champion, Brazil’s Luis Carlos Cardoso da Silva, 36, on 48.03, who took silver. France’s Remy Boulle, 33, who had dyed his hair bright blue for the occasion, took bronze.
"I can only thank the Hungarian Canoeing Federation because we have the same attention as the able-bodied athletes in canoe. They set the bar really high for canoeing for the Olympics team, and I'm really glad that somehow I could manage to come a bit closer to them."
To mark the first gold of the canoe sprint competition, Andrew Parsons, the President of the International Paralympic Committee, presented Kiss with his medal at the Sea Forest Waterway.
Day 10 also proved a winning one for Great Britain, which topped the sport’s medal table at Rio 2016 with five medals, including three golds. Paralympic champion Emma Wiggs got the Tokyo 2020 campaign off to a flying start with a win in the women’s Va’a single 200m VL2.
The eight-time world champion, 41, lowered the Paralympic best time that she had set in the heats as she turbo-charged her canoe to the line in 57.028. It was more than four seconds of Australia’s Susan Seipel, 35, a three-time world champion, who landed in 1:01.48 followed by Wiggs’ teammate Jeanette Chippington, 51, a Paralympic and 10-time world champion, in bronze.
Australia’s Curtis McGrath was the won to watch in the men’s kayak single 200m KL2 final. The reigning Paralympic champion powered through the water to win the third of the four golds up for grabs on 3 September.
“I’m super happy with my performance," said the 33-year-old. “Lining up in the final against a tough field, I knew they were going to push me all the way. I know I’m not the best starter, and I’ve been working really hard on that. Thankfully that got me in good stead for the first half of the race, and then my strength is at the end. That’s where I came through and managed to get the gold.
“In Rio it was all so new to me, the high performance of it all, the level of competition, the competitiveness of everyone. It’s really great to have that experience. Now I’m more experienced, a little bit older, we’ve had an extra year to prepare and I’ve worked on things. Yeah, the nerves get up, but that’s because it means something to me.”
The 10-time world champion, who lost his legs in a mine blast while serving with the Australian army in Afghanistan in 2012, crossed the line in 41.42, which was just outside the Paralympic best time that he had set in the heats.
Ukraine’s Mykola Syniuk, 33, the reigning European champion, was close behind on 42.50 with Italy’s Federico Mancarella, 28, taking home bronze.
In a dramatic fourth final, Ukraine’s Serhii Yemelianov, won by the closest of margins the men’s kayak single 200m KL3. The defending Paralympic champion, and three-time world champion, just nudged ahead of the Russian Paralympic Committee’s Leonid Krylov to finish in 40.35 with the 41-year-old landing in silver in 40.46. Great Britain’s Robert Oliver, 33, upgraded the fifth place he won in Rio 2016 to add bronze to the nation’s medal haul in the event.
TOKYO2020
Responses
Leave your comment