Bridgette and Michele Team Up in K2

Following last weekend’s showdown in Szeged that settled the tussle between ace national sprint canoeists Jen Hodson and Bridgitte Hartley for the solitary women’s 500m K1 berth at the Beijing Olympics, Hartley will team up in a K2 with Michele Eray at this weekend’s World Cup in Germany.

While crushed by her defeat in the A final of the women’s 500m K1 race in Hungary last weekend, Hartley has refocused her energy on her partnership with Eray, who is also a key member of the high-flying women’s K4 squad. "Bridgitte and I have been paddling together in the K2, so it was a logical decision," said Eray.

"She has already qualified for the Olympics, and it now adds a new dimension to our Olympic  dream by adding a serious K2 challenge to the women’s K1 and K4 races." The duo have entered the weekend’s Duisburg regatta, and hope to get their K2 combination to click at what is widely regarded as the most fiercely competitive sprint regatta in the world.

This weekend’s regatta marks a return to the course where the women’s K4 caught the canoeing world’s attention when they qualified for the Olympics at last year’s World Championships.

"We love this course!" enthused Eray. "We made the A final here in our first K4 season, and last year we qualified for Beijing here. We also have a good draw for the first heat this year, so we are feeling very positive about our chances."

The K4 challenge at last weekend’s World Cup in Szeged was derailed by Eray falling prey to a stomach virus that left her weakened, Carol Joyce was battling with a cold, and Nikki Mocke struggled with an eye completely closed for four days after being stung by a bee.

"If you consider that we missed out on making the A final by 0.004 of a second, in our first regatta of the season, and with all the attention focused on the battle for the K1 place, then we didn’t do too badly," said Mocke.

"Our Olympic plans are right on track," Mocke added. "We are continually working on the technical aspects of our combination, and every week it feels like we are a faster stronger and more experienced crew." The Duisburg World Cup, widely regarded as a dress rehearsal for August’s Olympics, gets under way on Friday, and ends on Sunday.