We are very proud of our four Olympic Canoe Slalom athletes who are representing Ireland at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and inspiring us with their skill, resilience and determination.
Liam Jegou agonisingly missed out on a silver medal when he hit the final of 23 gates on the course. He was given a two-second penalty, taking him from what would have been a leading position to third. By the time all 12 finalists had completed their runs, Jegou was in seventh. After the race Liam said
“In slalom, it’s really hard to get that balance between brute power and finesse. In the heats, I was just trying power too hard because that’s where you get your confidence from, training hard so you can push hard in the races. Today, I just found that balance and pushed really hard. I really let the boat flow. I didn’t fight for anything and it was the best time ever.”
The Corcoran twins, Madison (K1W) and Michaela (C1W), both in their first Olympics and the youngest members of the slalom team, displayed great promise for the future, but unfortunately coming up short for qualification to the semi-finals. In the always competitive K1M race Noel Hendrick came into the second run needing an improvement to make the semi-final. Under huge pressure Noel delivered a performance to stand over, finishing in 19th and qualifying for the semi-final. The semi-final takes place Thursday 1st August 14:30 Irish time.
All 4 athletes will be competing in the new Kayak Cross event which starts on the 2nd August.
Make sure to follow Canoeing Ireland on social media for all the updates.
