New Zealand Tried Hard by Aaron Osborne
Flooding, massive crowds and big upsets were all part of the memorable 2010 World Championships. Twenty mins from Ljubljana, Slovenia, the small town of Tacen on the Sava River was the venue. It put on a fantastic show throughout the week. and even the weather couldn’t dampen the Canoe Slalom party for over 300 competitors from 48 countries. Tacen, renowned for its inconsistent water, has a large drop slide at the top of the course. On the opening day it rained. In difficult conditions, all the New Zealand Team, except the K1 men, raced. Luuka Jones had a credible performance finishing 35th and Shaun Higgins was best of the kiwi C1 Men in 47th. Overnight the Sava rose from its normal 100 cumec/s
to over to 250. The ICF committee postponed the K1 men’s race and adjusted the programme so the athletes could race on a consistent water level. A day and a half later the Men’s qualification began. My runs were full of mistakes, but I was pretty happy with the fast times. After my first run I was 16th. Mike Dawson and I were now able to push for the top 10. Due to the condensed programme the heats, semis and finals were on the same course. My semi final run was over by gate two. I came over the drop, experienced an unhelpful surge in the water and dropped to the bottom of the eddy. To qualify for the top 10 I knew I now had to push hard and take risks. But I pushed too hard and with 56 sec worth of penalties finished 39th. Many paddlers struggled throughout the day, however newly
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