Post by Taxigirl on Aug 28, 2004 9:12:41 GMT
news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics_2004/canoeing/3607188.stm
Born: 30 November 1973, Kent
Lives: Guildford
Honours: K1 500m Olympic bronze (2004)
K1 500m silver & 1000m bronze at European Championships (2004)
Great Britain's Ian Wynne shrugged off a freak ankle injury to take bronze in the men's K1 500m kayak final.
The Kent athlete twisted his ankle after falling off a bus on Friday and competed with heavy strapping.
Canada's Adam van Koeverden took the gold medal while early leader, Australian Nathan Baggaley, was second.
In the women's event, Lucy Hardy recorded the best performance by a British female canoeist at the Olympics, finishing in seventh place.
The 26-year-old set a new personal best of 1:53.717 in blustery conditions in Athens.
"Seventh is much more than I could have thought of at this Games," Hardy told BBC Sport. "Hopefully it's the start of good things to come."
Hungary's Natasa Janics delivered a dominant display to power to gold ahead of Italy's Josefa Idem while Canadian Caroline Brunet was third.
Wynne's bronze came after he poured on the pace over the final 200m, holding off defending champion Eirik Versass Larsen to take third in one minute, 38.547 seconds.
And the 30-year-old was pleased he was able to snatch a medal in spite of the pain in his ankle.
"It was a silly accident," said Wynne. "Getting off the bus after dinner I just rolled over on my ankle. But once I was racing I just got my head down.
"Every stroke you do you are pushing with your foot on the footrest and it drives through the body.
"Maybe on another day I could have got gold, maybe I would have come fourth."
Double world champion Baggaley got off to a flying start but Van Koeverden reeled him in to win in 1:37.919.
In the men's C1 500m canadian final, Germany's Andreas Dittmer timed his race to perfection to claim gold.
Spain's David Cal added silver to his 1000m gold while Russian Maxim Opalev took bronze.
German duo Ronald Rauhe and Tim Wieskoetter triumphed in the men's K2 500m.
Baggaley was back on the water, teaming up with Clint Robinson to take silver, while Belarussians Raman Piatrushenka and Vadzim Makhneu finished third.
China's Meng Guanliang and Yang Wenjun made a late surge to clinch gold medal in the men's C2 500m.
A quartet of boats were level at the 400m but the Chinese duo pulled ahead to out-sprint Cuba 's Ibrahim Rojas Blanco and Ledis Frank Balceiro.
Alexander Kostoglod and Alexander Kovalev Pajon of Russia got the bronze.
Hungarians Katalin Kovacs and Janics rounded off the Olympic action at the Schinias Centre by taking gold in the women's K2 500m
The pair ended Birgit Fischer's hopes of claiming a record-equalling ninth gold medal.
The German had to settle for silver alongside Carolin Leonhardt while Poland's Aneta Pastuszka and Beata Sokolowska Kulesza were third.
Born: 30 November 1973, Kent
Lives: Guildford
Honours: K1 500m Olympic bronze (2004)
K1 500m silver & 1000m bronze at European Championships (2004)
Great Britain's Ian Wynne shrugged off a freak ankle injury to take bronze in the men's K1 500m kayak final.
The Kent athlete twisted his ankle after falling off a bus on Friday and competed with heavy strapping.
Canada's Adam van Koeverden took the gold medal while early leader, Australian Nathan Baggaley, was second.
In the women's event, Lucy Hardy recorded the best performance by a British female canoeist at the Olympics, finishing in seventh place.
The 26-year-old set a new personal best of 1:53.717 in blustery conditions in Athens.
"Seventh is much more than I could have thought of at this Games," Hardy told BBC Sport. "Hopefully it's the start of good things to come."
Hungary's Natasa Janics delivered a dominant display to power to gold ahead of Italy's Josefa Idem while Canadian Caroline Brunet was third.
Wynne's bronze came after he poured on the pace over the final 200m, holding off defending champion Eirik Versass Larsen to take third in one minute, 38.547 seconds.
And the 30-year-old was pleased he was able to snatch a medal in spite of the pain in his ankle.
"It was a silly accident," said Wynne. "Getting off the bus after dinner I just rolled over on my ankle. But once I was racing I just got my head down.
"Every stroke you do you are pushing with your foot on the footrest and it drives through the body.
"Maybe on another day I could have got gold, maybe I would have come fourth."
Double world champion Baggaley got off to a flying start but Van Koeverden reeled him in to win in 1:37.919.
In the men's C1 500m canadian final, Germany's Andreas Dittmer timed his race to perfection to claim gold.
Spain's David Cal added silver to his 1000m gold while Russian Maxim Opalev took bronze.
German duo Ronald Rauhe and Tim Wieskoetter triumphed in the men's K2 500m.
Baggaley was back on the water, teaming up with Clint Robinson to take silver, while Belarussians Raman Piatrushenka and Vadzim Makhneu finished third.
China's Meng Guanliang and Yang Wenjun made a late surge to clinch gold medal in the men's C2 500m.
A quartet of boats were level at the 400m but the Chinese duo pulled ahead to out-sprint Cuba 's Ibrahim Rojas Blanco and Ledis Frank Balceiro.
Alexander Kostoglod and Alexander Kovalev Pajon of Russia got the bronze.
Hungarians Katalin Kovacs and Janics rounded off the Olympic action at the Schinias Centre by taking gold in the women's K2 500m
The pair ended Birgit Fischer's hopes of claiming a record-equalling ninth gold medal.
The German had to settle for silver alongside Carolin Leonhardt while Poland's Aneta Pastuszka and Beata Sokolowska Kulesza were third.