The British Open for slalom happened last weekend down at the 2012 Olympic course in Lee Valley. We caught up with family paddler, and top British C1 from the event, Sam Ibbotson after to see what he thought about it.
How was the run up to the event? Was the water busy on the run up?The run into the race was pretty decent, I’d had a couple of weeks of consistent training back under my belt after racing out in Bratislava at the end of August, so felt like I was back into racing form. Through the week extra slots had been put on to accommodate the increase in volume of paddlers, so none of the sessions were actually too crowded.
What were your first thoughts on the course set for the heats? The course looked quite open, with no major surprises, so I was feeling confident that I’d be able to put in a suitable run for the task required of me.
Was it weird warming up and sitting on the start line with some of the top names missing? Not really, a lot of the senior athletes tend to miss the national races so it was just like any other prem race.
At the end of the first heats run, did you think you had done enough? Or did you think a second run was on the cards? I had a bit of a mistake early on in my run, but the rest had been solid, so I was hopeful that I‘d been quick enough to jump the first hurdle.
How did you spend the rest of the saturday? Did you watch much paddling? I spent the afternoon watching a bit of the second run, in case any moves were repeated on the course for the next day of racing, then just chilled with out some of the other athletes.
Semi finals were sunday morning. What were your thoughts running into that? After an imperfect run in the heats I was eager to get back out there and show what I was capable of. I knew I was capable of putting a good enough run down, so I was keen to get it done.
You were only a second off the lead in the semi finals, did you think you had more to give in the finals, or did you think you had peaked?Yeah, I knew that there was a little bit more in there just by cutting a couple of lines and taking on the ups a bit tighter. In the semi finals it’s always a matter of weighing up risk ‘vs’ reward, and often it’s a matter of taking some slightly more conservatives lines to ensure you get the job done.
Your finals time was quick, what were you thinking when you crossed the line? Good run, bad run, bits that could have gone better? Crossing the finish I had no real expectations as to where the run would punch in, I’d made a few mistakes and picked up a touch, but then I managed to finish it off well, chasing back the time I’d lost earlier on.
You almost did the cross from gate 8 to gate 9 too well, sailing into gate 9 really high. Luckily you banged in a sweep stroke and stuck the tail down and made the gate. Is this a move you have practised for this scenario, or was it a case of hit and hope? It’s not something I’ve practiced directly, but I always love just playing around on the water and seeing what I can get away with. As a kid I’d spend hours messing about in any boat I could get in, so when it comes to tight, reactive situations like on my run, I tend to be quite comfortable in knowing how to deal with what the water is doing.
After seeing you had a 50 second penalty, but a time that would put you top brit, what did you do? I hadn’t realised that my time would put me near the top, but I was confident I didn’t get the 50 so I went straight over to the race office to put the protest in.
When your protest was upheld and the 50 second penalty was taken off you shot from 10th to 2nd (and top british paddler). Was this the result you were hoping for going into the weekend? Yeah, going into any race you always hope to finish at the top, but I was just taking it one round at a time wanting to do the best run I could, and in the instance I came away chuffed with the result.
With only a few races left this season, do you think you can continue your winning streak and take the 2018 national title?With only a few races left in the season it's certainly possible, but I know that the boys I'm racing against are all pushing it hard and can be just as good if not better than me when they paddle to their best.
Questions & Images - Ibbo
Answers - Sam Ibbotson
