Will the reign of Dane still be a pain for other competitors? We’ll find out soon enough as the ICF Kayak Freestyle World Championships head to Canada’s Ottawa River August 30 – September 5.
Dane Jackson, who won his first-ever Men’s championships in 2013 on the Nantahala River, and the world’s other top freestylers will this time take his high-flying skills to the Ottawa’s Garberator Wave on the Ottawa River, one of the most diverse freestyle waves on the planet whose consistency, power and size has competitors drooling. Jackson will be looking to fend off Slovakia’s Peter Csonka and Poland’s Tomasz Czaplicki, who got second and third at the last championships, as well as a slew of other top-notch throw-downers.
For the women, look for Britain’s Claire O’Hare to possible three-peat after winning in 2011 and 2013, but not without a fight from Dane’s sister Emily Jackson as well as the likes of Japan’s Hitomi Takatu, and took second in 2013, and Adriene Levknecht from the USA, who took third.
At the last world champs, Dane took home three medals overall, including a gold in the K1 Men, thanks to a series of 1,500-plus point rides, a silver in the Squirt boat and bronze in the C1. In the K1 event, he bested pops EJ, brother-in-law Nick Troutman and 2011 champion James Bebbington of Britain.
The Ottawa is no stranger to hosting such firepower. The first Freestyle World Cup was on the Ottawa in September 2006, and the World Championships were held at McCoy’s Chute in 1997.
This year’s event will be hosted by Wilderness Tours and the Ottawa Kayak School’s 600-acre adventure resort, which will harbor the athlete’s village as well as the location for daily entertainment, meals and accommodation.
While most of the river has been harnessed for hydro-electric power, the “Rocher-Fendu”, French for “split rock,” is where the river flows through two billion year old granite bedrock and an island paradise creating a whitewater playground with spectacular rapids and warm water.
The event will be held at the Lorne Rapids, famous for its world class waves, Bus Eater in high water and Garberator in low water. The timing of the event coincides with normal Garb levels. However, the Ottawa is “Run of River”. That means what is in the system must come down river. While Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has some control over water levels, it isn’t total. In the unlikely event levels for Garb don’t work, it will move to another part of the river.
Freestyle kayaking was an exhibition sport at the London Olympic Games in 2012 and is working its way toward full recognition by the International Olympic Committee. Registered teams include those from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, United States and Ukraine.
Info:CLICK HERE
2013 Results
K1 Women
1. Claire O’Hare (GBR) 708
2. Hitomi Takatu (JPN) 650
3. Adriene Levknecht (USA) 326
Squirt Boat Women
1. Claire O’Hare (GBR) 1,153
2. Motoko Ishida (JPN) 603
3. Yoshiko Suematsu (JPN) 286
OC1 Men
1. Jordan Poffenberger (USA) 283
2. Dane Jackson (USA) 103
3. Jez Jez (AUS) 100
C1 Men
1. Jordan Poffenberger (USA) 1,066
2. Tad Dennis (USA) 843
3. Dane Jackson (USA) 840
K1 Men
1. Dane Jackson (USA) 1,240
2. Peter Csonka (SVK) 1,233
3. Tomasz Czaplicki (POL) 1,208
Squirt Boat Men
1. Clay Wright (USA) 1,340
2. Dane Jackson (USA) 1,160
3. Max Karlsson (SWE) 860
Saturday 7th September 2013
K1 Junior Women
1. Rowan Stuart (USA) 423
2. Nuria Fontane (ESP) 380
3. Kinberlee Aldred (USA) 200
K1 Junior Men
1. Hunter Katich (USA) 1,200
2. Richard Thomas (FRA) 1,006
3. Alec Voorhees (USA) 953