Mike Dawson picks up his second World Cup extreme slalom medal in a week at the latest event in Augsburg over the weekend. Photo/Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media
Mike Dawson picks up his second World Cup extreme slalom medal in a week at the latest event in Augsburg over the weekend. Photo/Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media
Mike Dawson claimed another ICF World Cup canoe slalom medal overnight, picking up bronze in the extreme slalom final in Germany.
A week after winning gold in the same event in Prague, Dawson finished third behind Boris Neveu (France) and German Hannes Aigner in an intense four-boat decider.
It cappedan excellent weekend for the seven-strong New Zealand slalom team on the Augsburg course, with Dawson delighted by the progress the Kiwi paddlers are making. "Whitewater slalom is in a great place in New Zealand at the moment and it's fantastic to see the support from High Performance Sport New Zealand paying off," Dawson said.
"Having Luuka (Jones) nearly make the C1 podium and to see Finn (Butcher) racing with such confidence on a tough course in a stacked K1 semifinal was so exciting and I'm stoked with how things are going."
Jones couldn't emulate her fourth-placed C1 performance in the K1 overnight, missing the final, although she was in good company.
Spain's Rio gold medallist, Maialen Chourraut, finished 13th, silver medallist Jones was 12th, and bronze medallist Jessica Fox from Australia was 11th as the tough course took its toll, leaving Germany's Ricarda Funk to take the win on her home course.
Jones and Dawson will miss the third World Cup of the season in Markleeberg, Germany, next weekend, leaving a youthful Kiwi team to lead the way.
Alex Hawthorne will join Callum Gilbert and Butcher in the men's K1, Jane Nicholas and Courtney Williams will race the women's K1, while Gilbert, Patrick Washer and Nicholas will continue their C1 duties.
