Athens - South African star slalom paddler Cameron McIntosh saw his dreams of paddling in the Athens Olympics shattered on day three of the slalom World Cup on the Olympic course at Helleniko.
McIntosh posted a terrific second run in the Menis K1 competition, but it was not good enough to compensate for a slower first run, with three touches costing him six seconds, and leaving him well off the pace.
A jubilant McIntosh punched the air after completing a much faster and cleaner second run - easily the best performance of his career - but was reduced to tears when he realised that it was not good enough to make the top 40, and secure a berth in the semifinals.
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"It is so hard to come to terms with", said a gutted McIntosh afterwards. "It has taken six years of my life, and I know that I am going better than I have ever gone. But to fall short like this is devastating," he added.
It was also an up-and-down day for the C2 crew of Simon Dube and Cyprian Ngidi. The pair, who have won many admirers for their courage and determination, posted an excellent first run, only to be caught by the final tricky section of the course.
Struggling to cross a dangerous hole to make gate 21 at the end of the course, they were tipped over, and crossed the finish line upside down. In terms of the rules they were disqualified.
However, they bounced back with a brilliant second run, which offered some consolation for their bad luck earlier, and produced a massive cheer from the crowd at the Olympic slalom venue.
Overall, it was a day of high drama on the $25 million artificial slalom course, with several big names battling to make an impression, and in some cases failing to make the semifinal stages of the competition.
The demanding big water course produced plenty of surprises. American slalom legend Scott Shipley failed to make the semifinal cut in the Menis K1, ending his dreams of an Olympic comeback in 2004. Frenchman Benoit Peschier set the pace with Briton Campell Walsh. Defending Olympic champion Thomas Schmidt made it through to the semifinals, albeit 10 seconds off the pacesetters. World Champ Fabien Lefevre had a very similar run, and will be hoping to master the difficult artificial salt water course during Sunday's semifinals and finals.
Just 14 seconds separated the first 40 paddlers, reflecting the highly competitive nature of the day's competition.
The Czech crew of Volf and Stepanek topped the list of C2 semifinalists, after completing both their heats with just one touch between them. - Sapa
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