GAINESVILLE - Lanier Canoe 2003, the world championships that will be staged in Gainesville starting Thursday, is billed as "the most important qualifying sprint canoe/kayak event for the 2004 Summer Olympics. Games.
Of the 276 paddlers who will compete in Greece next summer, more than half can qualify in Gainesville.
None of the four remaining competitions between now and next summer will qualify as many boats, according to organizers of this week's event.
To make the grade for an appearance in Athens, a country's entry has to finish in the top eight in the K-1 500m and 1,000m events and the top six in every other Olympic event. Keep in mind that countries qualify
only boats, not athletes. The individual athletes still will have to compete at each country's Olympic trials to secure their personal slots.
The World Championships, like the Athens Olympics, will include nine paddling events for men and three for women.
Approximately 73 countries from around the world will compete in the
2003 World Championships, making the Lanier event the largest canoe/kayak world
championships ever in terms of the number of participating countries.
Hungary is sending the largest contingent, with 33 athletes, followed by
Poland with 28, Russia Federation with 27, Canada with 24 and 21 each
from Germany and the United States of America. Numerous countries are
sending only one athlete including Albania, India, Iran, Seychelles,
Tajikistan and Tunisia.
Friday
October 18th, 2024
4:50AM
