Ben Fouhy World Champion K1 1000m Kayaking New Zealand

Today was a much better day for me coming 2nd to Adam Van Koeverden in the K1 1000,with Eirik Veras Larsen 3rd.

Very satisfying after two weeks of wondering why I trained my ass off for 6 months. To be honest my times in training since I have been away have been modest so I was very grateful to be able to get it together on the race course today.

It was also a great day for the team, with the girls K4 coming 4th in the 500 A final and Mike Walker and Steve Ferguson coming 3rd and picking up their first podium in the K2 1000.

Tomorrow we have the 500s in which I will be competing in just K1s.

At last the sun has come out and it has warmed up to 15 degrees, it was actually 4 degrees the other day for both training sessions.

With great scenery and good food the team is in high spirits.

Tonight we had the opening ceremony which is actually unusual for a World Cup meet but it was a bit of fun and helped to get us in the spirit of things.

The regatta wont be as big in terms of numbers compared to Hungary but fortunately for me pretty much all the fast guys in the K1 1000 field will be racing. Meaning the top end of the A Final tomorrow will be extremely competitive.

Yesterday we travelled from Czech to France, here is a picture of the boys killing some time in Prague before we flew out to France.

We are now in Gerardmer, France for the 3rd World Cup. Below is the fantastic view of the lake from my room. It is the first time I have come to France for competition, so far it has been refreshing, not only because it is currently 8 degrees but because overall it is living up to its reputation as a beautiful country. Even the supermarkets are exciting to visit with a great range of fresh food, something we take for granted at home that is not always available in some parts of Europe.

Training this week has improved and I am hoping to make it into the finals again after feeling so crap at the last regatta.

This morning we had the heats of the K1 500.

After yesterdays racing I was very keen to get back on track and show that the 1000s weren’t a fair reflection of how I am paddling. As it turns out they were. I even polished my boat for the first time in a heat.

Now I will just enjoy watching the regatta and rest for a few days and try again.

The first day of the Szeged world cup has now finnished.

For me it was a strange day. Not even making the B final and finishing 5th in the C final. I am not sure exactly why as training has been quite good. I was feeling a little on the flat side but not enough to justify being so far off the pace. The only thing I could possibly put it down to is the inconsistant waves that seemed to create problems for people lane 6 to 9. I don’t like to make excuses but it is interesting to note two other world champions from 2006 also missed the A final from that side of the course in their semi finals. Hopefully we get some settled weather tomorrow for the 500s so I can get a guage on where I am at.

On a positive note our mens K2 of Mike Walker and Steve Ferguson finished 5th in the A final clocking a new pb of 3.13
Erin Taylor first time senior in K1 in a world cup finished 4th in the B final.
The womans K4 500 finished 3rd in the B final. Rudi Williams did a pb in the 1000 of 3.49

The great thing about paddling is that we get to travel the world and experience the beauty of what other countries have to offer.

I took this shot of the serene conditions before training the other day. In particular I like the reflections in the glassy conditions.

We have been in the Czech Republic for 5 days now. Training has been fairly modest at this stage. Hoping a few more days of settling into the northern hemisphere and the times will improve. Although I did do a new pb for Max speed the other night of over 21kph. I Havnt done any specific work on this but I have improved my strength in the gym, so maybe that explains the unexpected improvement.

At the moment I am trying out a Nelo vanquish. It feels good but too early to decide what boat I will race with.

This afternoon we are off to Prague to have a look around.

Below is my room mate Rudi Williams also from NZ but is representing Samoa. He has been teaching me a few tunes on the guitar Island styles.