Day 5 of the 2008 Olympic Slalom Competition was a bonus day.

Due to inclement weather, 3 of 4 events scheduled for Day 4 were postponed, and another day of competition was added to the 2008 Olympic Slalom schedule.

Day 5 included the K1W Semifinal and Final races as well as the C2 Final competition. Some athletes weathered the delay well, even gaining momentum overnight. Others seemed to lose the groove they had demonstrated in the Semi.

In the C2 class, early leaders Michel/Piersig (GER) found disaster in the Final, dropping to 6th position in the overall standings. The brothers Hochschorner were able to fine-tune their Semi run, delivering a Final run which earned them another Olympic gold. The solid Czech team of Volf/Stepanek won the silver, adding to their World Championship title. The quick and level-headed team of Kuznetsov/Larionov won the bronze, Russia’s first Olympic slalom medal.

Day 4 of the Beijing Olympic Slalom Competition was cut short by torrential rain and thunderstorms. Spectators crowded the upper tiers of the stands in a rainbow of pastel plastic raincoats as athletes warmed up and the C2s raced their Semifinal. The Hochschorner brothers of Slovakia had one touch, and are in close contention with Germans Michel/Piersig at the top of the Semifinal results.

Sporadic lightning and thunder mixed with steady heavy rain finally resulted in postponement of the competition.

The K1W Semifinal will be held tomorrow prior to the Final medal round for both C2 and

Day 3 of the Beijing Olympic Slalom Competition featured C2 and K1W. It was an overcast day, typical of our stay thus far in China, with high heat and humidity.

The Qualification course proved more challenging to the C2s and K1Ws than it seemed for the men’s canoe and kayak singles. In both of today’s categories, making all the gates was the ticket to the Semifinal round. Some athletes fell victim to the complex whitewater, while others missed gates simply by misjudging or cutting the line too tight.

Unfortunately, the USA C2 team of Powell and Eichfeld were the recipients of one 50-second penalty which has ended their Olympic podium dream for 2008.

Day 2 of Slalom Competition was sunny and bright. And hot, with a little breeze.

Perfect conditions for spectacular canoe and kayak racing.

With a clean run and some time errors, USA C1 Benn Fraker placed 8th in the Semifinal, qualifying for the Olympic Final. Evolving his strategy between runs, Benn was clean again and faster on his Final run to finish 6th overall.

Mere hundredths of seconds separated athletes as kayak and canoe paddlers each vied for their shot at an Olympic medal. Perennial champion Tony Estanguet finished out of the top 8 in C1, dashing his hopes for another Olympic title. World-ranked number one Peter Kauzer did not meet the standard he set in the Qualification rounds as he got off-line and also missed out on the Final.

Day 1 of slalom competition at the Beijing Olympic Games dawned rainy and gray. Spectators filed into the stands under light to heavy rain as competitors arrived by taxi, bus and bicycle. Locals led the crowd in cheers they had learned in special sessions at the venue during the days prior to the race.

Competition ran smoothly with solid performances from nearly all paddlers. C1 and K1 men raced 2 runs of the Qualification round, vying for the top 12 and 15 positions respectively in tomorrow’s Semifinal round.

American Benn Fraker finished 10th, successfully qualifying in the top 12 for tomorrow’s Semifinal. His teammate Scott Parsons laid down a 3rd place first run, and was well on track to qualify near the top of the ranks when he was awarded a 50-second penalty on the last upstream gate on his second run.

For official 2008 Olympic Whitewater Canoe and Kayak Slalom schedule, start lists and results follow the link below.
Local time in China is Eastern Daylight Time + 12 hours.
http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/Schedule/CS.shtml

Results from the 2008 Tacen (SLO) World Cup can be found at http://www.wc-tacen.si/3/?pID=78
USA C1 athlete Tad Dennis has qualified for today's Semifinal, placing 15th in Saturday's Qualification round.

For live results go to:
http://animastiming.com/2008-olympic-slalom-results

In January, the first World Series slalom race of 2008 was held in Penrith (NSW) Australia, at the site of the 2000 Olympic Games.
High-quality demonstration and foreruns were done by 2007 USACK Slalom Team members Scott Parsons, Ashley Nee and Caroline Queen.
The highest US finish went to Benn Fraker who placed 6th in the C1 Final, with a total of 210.15. Frenchman Tony Estanguet won the C1 class with a total of 202.32.
Zuzana Vanha made it to the K1W Final, to finish 9th with a total of 243.29. Violetta Oblinger-Peters was the top K1W in 221.70.
Other US finishes included K1s Brett Heyl (11th) and Scott Mann (14th); C1s Jeff Larimer (13th) and Erik Amason (18th); and K1W Jamie Tidmore (27th).

Over 30 athletes from around the world tested their skills in weekend competition December 14 and 15 at the US National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, NC. Paddlers from the US, Canada, Chile, Ireland, Great Britain, Switzerland and the Czech Republic raced in Grand Prix and Classic Slalom events on the challenging whitewater as part of their preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Friday evening was a Grand Prix race, with single-pole gates (no upstreams), and used only the lower half of the competition channel for a very fast and exciting event. Saturday was a classic slalom with a very tricky course. Both days' courses were designed by David Hepp.