The second round of the 2022 Canoe Sprint World Cup provided a literal whirlwind of excitement and drama. The 3 days of competition were marred with extremely high winds, resulting in racing being postponed for the best part of most of the competition days, testing the adaptability and mental toughness of all competing.
Competing against these conditions and their rivals for Ireland were Paralympian Patrick O’Leary and Jenny Egan-Simmons. Patrick was lining up in the VL3 and KL3, with Jenny racing in her favoured 5000m. In what was his first outing onto the start-line after the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Patrick displayed promising pace, qualifying through to the final of the KL3 200m, finishing in 9th overall. The VL3 proved more challenging, where Patrick finished 7th in his heat, missing the cut for the semi-final.
The final day of racing saw a significant improvement in both the conditions and the fortunes of the Irish Team. With a 4th place finish already under her belt from the previous weeks World Cup race, Jenny Egan-Simmons had plenty of momentum going into the final of the women’s 5000m. This showed massively with a confident display of racing from Egan-Simmons, pushing right until the line in a close fight for the silver medal. The tight battle went just the other way with Melina Andersson (SWE) taking silver and Jenny taking the bronze. This medal also marked a milestone in Jenny’s career, her 10th international medal for Ireland, and with a busy season of racing ahead it will not be her last.
