The sprint World Championships begin today on the notoriously wet, windy and wild regatta course at Poznan in Poland. The GBR team are stronger than ever, contesting for at least 8 medals this year, Including our 2010 European Champions; Lani Belcher in the 5km, Jonnie Schofield/Liam Heath K2 200m, Ed McKeever K1 200m, Rachel Cawthorn

K1 1000m European champion and 500m Bronze medalist.

Lani Belcher represents GBR in the most hardcore of races; the 5000m. Wanting to repeat her success at the Europeans this year with another Gold, she will be taking no prisoners, and you can bet that no matter who is on the start line, she will be fighting for the win at the finish, Lani is a tenacious racer and Race Pace are proud to have her on board.

Rachel Cawthorn is not only racing K1 500m (the blue ribbon event for women) but also the 1000m and K4 500m. This year Rachel has already picked up a European Bronze in the 500m and a European Title in the 1000m, as well as numerous world cup medals. Cawthron will be looking to replicate her 1000m Europeans result on the World stage and I’m sure she wants to make the Bronze a Gold in the 500m too. All signs show very good form going into the World Champs, and Miklos clearly thinks she is strong enough to do 3 events putting her in seat 2 of the K4 500m. My prediction; Gold in the 1000m, and a Medal in the K1 500m.

In the men’s 1000m K4, we have high expectations of Ben Farrell, Paul Wycherley, Stuart Hastings and Andrew Daniels who placed 7th at last years Sprint Worlds, looking only to improve on that result as I know that all of them are going faster in their K1′s this year. I am predicting a solid top 6 for these guys which will put them well in the mix looking forward to the ever looming London 2012.

Our women’s K4 also have a lot to live up to after their 5th at the Europeans this year, particularly as the K4 has been made ever more substantial by replacing Jenna Hawkey and Angela Hannah with Rachel Cawthorn and Louisa Sawers. Considering the caliber of the crew, there is no doubt in my mind that this K4 should medal.

After Jenna and Angela’s marked results in the K4 at the Europeans, coach Miklos Simon has rewarded them with the K2 1000m and 500m World Championship seats. You would not be alone in thinking that on paper maybe this is not the strongest combination from our ample women’s squad, but the progressive nature of Miklos’s method demands a trust in his decisions. I predict the K2′s results will not interrupt the success of the women’s team, A finals are a minimum.

Jonathan Boyton and Edward Rutherford head up the men’s K2 1000m and 500m racing. After a disappointing B final at the Europeans this year, and knowing they are at least an ‘A final crew’ nothing less than the A final will satisfy the crew. I have raced this K2 and I know that as well as a good 1000m crew, they are also capable of making the A final in the 500m event. Our coach Ian Wynne informs me that both Boyton and Rutherford are going very well in their K1′s and the final preparation for the Worlds has been nothing less than perfect. My prediction; (assuming all goes to plan) they will have a brilliant regatta making the A final in both the 1000m and 500m, and once your there, anything is possible.

Tim Brabants is racing K1 1000m and 500m. If you don’t know by now that Tim is making a come back for London 2012, where the hell have you been?!

For Tim, this season was always going to be a delicate balance between trying to ‘get back into it’ and trying to achieve the glorious Beijing style execution that he knows and loves. I was fortunate enough to train with Tim for a few sessions (video here) leading up to the Europeans this year, I could still sense his hunger for more gold medals, but also the dissatisfaction with knowing how close/far he was from that perfect form of August 2008. Hindered by recurrent back problems throughout training and preparation it was not looking good for Tim’s 2010 season, however with the help of his dynamic support team and his coach Eric Farrell, Tim was ‘restored’ back to full health, eager to do battle on the lake once again. My prediction; considering the eventful season, Tim’s tenacious attitude and Eric’s wealth of experience; a top 5 in both the 1000m and 500m is the least I expect. Oh yeah, Tim is also racing in the 5000m event, and, with a clean race (and assuming he stays upright this time) he should medal. So long as it is a straight final; the time table put the 5000m heats ahead of Timmy’s priority 1000m semi-finals.

Not forgetting our rising stars in the 200m, Ed McKeever is once again racing K1, all signs point to a repeat of his European gold medal performance. Jonnie Schofield and Liam Heath are once again in K2 and also striving for more of the gold stuff after their narrow European victory where they just pipped the Spanish crew. I spoke to the boys shortly before they flew out to Poznan, all is going to plan, and they are faster than ever. I predict World titles for both the K1 and K2.
Jessica Walker is racing K1 200m she is going very very fast in training at the moment and I expect at least a top 5, and with the perfect race the podium could well be her destination.

Richard Jefferies is our man for the 200m racing in C1 this time, after promising performances at the Europeans this year, and having only been padding a couple of years, things are looking good for Richard in the lead up to London 2012. I predict Richard will place top 3 in the B final, although if he has a good semi, there is no reason he can’t make the A final in his fist World Championships.

Richard is not the only digger racing, James Train and Matt Lawrence are doing the C2 1000m, having been up and down in their results over the years, lets hope the boys have peaked for this World Champs, as next year they will have to make at least the final to qualify for London 2012. My prediction; they will pull it out the bag and make the A final!


There is just one more team we might want to keep our beady little eyes on at the worlds this year; the Italians. Most of us know that we had a new coach early last season, Joseph Capousek from Germany who managed to completely change our training and (in most cases) won the trust of the athletes and World Class staff. Anyway, Joseph left us for the Italian team in October last year, Ian Wynne left to pick up the pieces (which he did very well). I hear on the canoeing grape vine they offered him a Ferrari, so no hard feelings. How will the Italians get on? Will they win everything and leave us feeling like we missed out? Probably not. Some good juice to gossip about.
This is the part where it’s tempting to say ‘GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!’


Robert Heinlein once wrote; “There is no such thing as luck. There is only adequate or inadequate preparation to cope with a statistical universe.”

I think what he meant was ‘let’s hope its not so windy at Poznan that we can’t even paddle properly’. Too right, all the best to everyone racing.


Ben Brown
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