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Sitting pretty

Tuesday, 12 February 2008

A DUBLIN kayak slalom star is sitting pretty in the world rankings as her hopes of making it to the Olympic Games in Beijing gathers pace.
Hannah Craig finished in the top four in the Australian Open World Series 2008 with a fine display last month.
Hannah (24) came fourth in the semi-finals and third in the finals, which leaves her fourth in the world overall, as the countdown to qualification for China continues.
Amid intimidating temperatures in Melbourne, the Dubliner narrowly missed out on a higher placing when she touched the first gate in her final run, meaning she came in two seconds off second place.
"It's not even the result that makes me happy,” Hannah told Dublin People Sport.
“It's the feeling that I was able to go out there and race well in what ended up being a very tricky and technical course in the middle of the best paddlers in the world. And I enjoyed every second of it.

"Of course, it's nice to finally have a result because it means so much to the outside world, and helps when it comes to funding and sponsorship which keeps the wheel on the bicycle or should I say keeps the kayak afloat.
"Had I been half a centimetre more to the left on the first gate, I would have not have touched it, and then I would have had a heavier wallet.
"But this is the world of sport. On the big day after years of training two to three times a day, it always comes down to that half centimetre.
Vio from Austria, who is the current European Champion, won with two clean and fast runs.
Hannah was less than two seconds off Mathilde from France who came in second and is also a European medallist and World Championship medalist.
“The result is definitely promising and the racing was very exciting,” stated Hannah.
"This is also great confirmation of all the hard work we have put in with Han, my coach, over the past two and a half years.
"All those hair pulling moments, buckets full of tears, physically painful sessions, and hours upon hours spent on the water.”
Hannah added that the reward doesn’t come with the result but by doing what she and her coach believes in day after day.
Her main goal remains the European Championships in Krakow in May where she can qualify a boat for the Olympics in Beijing.

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