Tuesday, 08 June 2010 00:00
Hartley on track ahead of World Championships
Duisburg- Bridgitte Hartley capped an outstanding international Canoe Sprint World Cup season by racing to her third successive medal in the K1 1000m event at the weekend’s final regatta in Duisburg, Germany. Hartley was the only member of the national squad who remained in Europe after last weekend’s Szeged World Cup, and she was rewarded with a bronze medal to go along with the two silvers she won in France and Hungary. Now recognised as one of the most consistent performers in world sprinting, the Gauteng star will take a mountain of confidence into the World Championships in two month's time.
Racing in perfect sunny conditions, Hartley placed second by less than a second in Friday’s 1000m heat, which was enough to bypass the semi-finals and advance directly to the A-Final. Falling back on her traditional power kick through the last 250m of the race, Hartley finished just behind gold medallist Rachel Cawthorn of Great Britain and silver medallist Franziska Weber of Germany.
Sunday was a tough day of racing, which saw athletes racing the heats, semis and finals of the 500m Olympic Distance. Good starts in her heats and semi-finals allowed Hartley to progress to the A-Final, where she made amends for a poor first sector by finishing strongly in a credible 6th overall, less than two seconds off the pace of a very competitive field.
Hartley has based herself in Hungary over the past few months, which has allowed her to train under former national coach Nandor Almasi. She has underlined her pedigree this season by consistently racing to podium positions against the world’s fastest women over the 1000m distance. However, with the women’s distances for the London 2012 Olympic Games confirmed last year as the 500m and 200m, she will undoubtedly have to focus her training on the raw power required off the start line over these shorter distances.
While the athletes head back to the gym and training waters, the country can now look forward to seeing what Hartley and the rest of the talented South African Sprint canoeing squad will achieve at the 2010 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Poznan, Poland in August this year.
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