Taking on the big boys

Quaid Thompson is pictured heading towards the finish line in the K1 1000 final at the under-23 and junior world champs. Picture supplied

Poverty Bay Kayak Club’s Quaid Thompson has been promoted to the New Zealand team for the Canoe Sprint World Championships in Portugal later this month.

Thompson’s selection is reward for his fine performance at the junior and under-23 championships in Bulgaria last week. He made the final of the u23 men’s K1 1000 metres and placed fourth, missing out on a medal by a whisker against the rising stars of the sport.

The 20-year-old is a late addition to the New Zealand squad, which comprises three male paddlers and five females led by Olympic champion Lisa Carrington.

Thompson will compete in the K1 1000 and the K1 5000m.

He has been training in the Czech Republic, along with fellow Poverty Bay club member Jordan Mclarin, in preparation for the Canoe Marathon World Championships in Portugal early next month, but will need to modify his plans as the sprint worlds are before the marathon.

Thompson trained in Hungary alongside members of the Hungarian national team for six weeks in the build-up to the junior and u23 worlds, thriving in the environment and earning respect for his work ethic. The benefits of his time there were converted to the race course, with consistent performances through his heat, semifinal and the final itself.