Sunday, September
22nd, was the final day of the ICF Marathon World Championships in
Copenhagen. After the emotions experienced in the previous two days, there were
high expectations when at 9:30 started
the Women Senior K2 and Men Senior C2.
However, the first surprise jumped out just before the first kilometer. And never better said, because in the K2 of ones of the favorites for the medals, South Africans Michele Eray and Bridgitte Hartley , one of the rudder roulette screws jumped out, leaving them off the race. So the first leading bunch, facing the first portage, included one K2 from each of the following teams: Danish, Hungarian, Czech, British and Spanish Nuria Villacé and Raquel Carbajo. The other Spanish crew, formed by the very young and Begoña Lazcano and Amaia Benavente, was forced to leave after having done most of the first round in that group due to some sickness suffered by Lazcano. A pity, but a boat to keep in mind for the future and not just at Marathon, but also at Sprint.
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| Csay/Bara lead one of the portages with Løvborg/Hansen behind. Pic: Jan N |
Meanwhile , ahead the selection started from the first portage . It was clear
that the Hungarian crew of Renata Csay/Alexandra Bara and the Danish of Jeannette
Løvborg/Henriette Engel Hansen were step by step tightening the rope, so after
one third of the race thay both remained ahead just along with the Czechs Anna
Adamova (Kova now) and Lenka Hrochova, the only ones who could keep on their
wash. Behind, the chase group was led by the current European gold and silver
medalists, Lizzie Lamph and Fay Broughton (GBR) and Nuria Villacé and Raquel
Carbajo (ESP), who were for a long part of the race pulling from a group that
included some other strong boats, like the Italiana Anna Alberti and Stefania Cicali
and the Belgians and Lize Broekx and Hermien Peters, among others. In the last
laps, British and Spaniards managed tu pull away and the fourth place went
finally to Lamph/Broughton (GBR).
