From Thomas Hinkel….
Wednesday. A day before the event: the sun is shining, the temperature is high and the water level is perfect. Most competitors, Including the World Champions James Bebbington and Claire O’Hara from the UK and the European Champion-siblings Nuria and Joaquim Fontane Maso from Spain, are at the spot, the venue of the last world championships: Plattling. Everything looks like a great weekend, but it was different. The temperature dropped down, endless rain, and fluctuating water levels did not make it easy. But the athletes who camped mostly on the muddy fields showed exciting competitions and declared the area to the ‘mile of party’.
The competition was the first station of the EuroCup 2013 and counts also as German championship and selection for the World’s in September in the USA.
On Saturday, we started with the first decisions: the Squirt and OC finals. Winner of squirt men class is the German multiple champion, Helmut Wolff. In the women class Claire O’Hara (UK) showed all her skills and won with a fantastic time under water. Philip Hitzigrath won the OC class with a perfectly executed loop. This year he wants to be the world champion!
In the last years Germany was not favored at international competitions in the traditionally strong kayak and c1 classes. Maybe the negative series will end this year. At the first EuroCup the Germans won all classes except K1 women. Jana Groß (GER) won K1 Junior women. She beat the current European champion Nuria Maso Fontane (ESP).
In C1 is Sören Kohnert is the new German champion and winner of the first Euro Cup 2013. He beat current European champion Lukas Cervinak (CZE) and multiple German champion Philipp Hitzigrath.
The junior men class was dominated by Yannick Münchow (GER). He outclassed his rivals with a high scoring finals run.
In the women class the Germans are still behind the British. Claire O’Hara rewarded herself with solid finals runs with her second gold medal of the weekend. The top German finisher was Anne Hübner. She had led after the semi finals and presented the highest score for single ride in class, which was not beat.
If you look over the start list of the K1 Men class, you became fearful. There were the names of the world champion, European champion, and some multiple national champions of different freestyle nations. The Germans starters hoped to have a chance in semi finals or even finals. There comes one who probably has not seen the list. Paul Meylahn (GER), the former successful junior who has failed selections for the European and World Championships in last years. He succeeded and placed fifth in the semi final. Paul nailed finals with an absolutely perfect run. No chance for the other finalists from the UK (3 riders) and Poland. Paul Meylahn was not only the new German Champion, bue he beat the current world champion and European champion. All Germans and spectators celebrated this unbelievable final.
We are looking forward to the World Championships in August in USA!
German Team 2013:
K1M: Paul Meylahn, Marvin Gauglitz, Christoph Kleemann, Thomas Hinkel,
Robert Büchmann
K1W: Anne Hübner, Andrea Kaspers, Sandra Sebelin
C1: Sören Kohnert, Philipp Hitzigrath, Jonas Unterberg
OC1: Philipp Hitzigrath, Tobias Hüther
K1JM: Yannick Münchow, Raphael Scheu, Adrian Mattern
K1JW: Jana Groß, Lisa Hasselwander
SM: Helmut Wolff, Jörn Hüsch, Raphael Scheu