The last Olympic ticket for the German slalom canoeists turned into a hanging game. After the supposed victory of Olympic bronze medallist Sideris Tasiadis, there was an appeal because gate 18 had shifted. As a result, the canoeing final had to be repeated with the last four starters. In this, Tasiadis from Kanu-Schwaben Augsburg came out on top ahead of Lennard Tuchscherer from Leipzig and booked his fourth Olympic participation. "I'm still angry about how the decision was made. I won two heats and then I had to go again," said the 33-year-old.
After Tokyo Olympic champion Ricarda Funk, the Augsburg trio of Elena Lilik, Noah Hegge and Tasiadi came out on top at the German Olympic qualifiers in Markkleeberg on Sunday. "An Olympic qualifier feels like the hardest thing there is. It feels tougher than participating in the Olympics because you simply have to deliver. All that counts is first place," said Funk from KSV Bad Kreuznach, who also lives in Augsburg.
The men's kayak was decided by millimetres. The 25-year-old Hegge put in a super run, but had to navigate the last upstream gate twice, which cost valuable time. Two-time Olympic bronze medallist Hannes Aigner countered with the best time, but in the end he only finished second behind the strong Stefan Hengst (RV Hamm), which gave his Augsburg colleague Hegge the Olympic ticket in the final standings. "The time wasn't bombastic and I knew it was beatable. I'm very happy that Stefan still won and that I'm qualified," said Hegge.
The women's Canadian was also emotional. Lilik, the 2021 World Champion, produced a flawless run in the final, which Olympic bronze medallist Andrea Herzog was unable to counter on her home track near Leipzig. The 25-year-old Lilik's Olympic dream thus came true for the first time. Screaming with joy, she collapsed in the finish area. "The emotions are charged for two weeks, suddenly everything falls away," said Lilik.
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