2nd: Peter Gelle (SVK) 1:38.961
3rd: Adam van Koeverden (CAN) 1:39
K1 500m - 2010 ICF World Championships - Poznan/Poland - (Sun 22 Aug 2010)
Following on from Anders Gustafsson great video of the K1 500m Final, Adam van Koeverden (who placed 3rd) wrote the following post race report on Tue 24 Aug 2010:
The best part about our sport, from my seat at least, is the camaraderie. Pictured above in the foregound is my great friend Anders Gustafsson moments after he became Weltmeister in the K1 500m, I finished 3rd about 0.5seconds back. I'm smiling not because I snagged a medal, I'm smilling because after 12 years on the international kayak scene, Anders gets to say he is the best in the world, and I'm proud of him. I didn't have my best races this past week (though the 500m final was really good) yet I walk away from the event satisfied in a sense beyond the scope of my own accomplishments and missteps.
[..]
Anders showed us all how to finish a 500, and Kenny Wallace taught the 5k field a thing or two on the long distance course... It's a privilege to just be on the water with guys like these.
Their kindness, grace and sportsmanship shone when I got off the water feeling like crap after failing to qualify for the 1000m final. It was remarkable how a few words of kindness, a few genuine handshakes and hugs, and a couple reminders that it happens to the best of us from guys who have been there and know what it's like helped me bounce back a bit.
We sit in these skinny boats all by ourselves in a selfish pursuit of glory and triumph, but we're all cut from the same cloth, united in our quest for perfect strokes, fast times and the chance to hear our National Anthems on the loudspeaker.
Congratulations all, and thanks for the inspiration! See you on the water...
Adam, thanks for these great words from a true champion. They are inspirational for anyone who reads them.
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