Events // Adidas Sickline Extreme Kayak World Championships 2009
The countdown is on. In ten days, the international kayak elite will meet in Austria’s Ötztal at the 2009 adidas Sickline Extreme Kayak World Championship to crown the World Champion in extreme kayak sprint on the legendary Wellerbrücke course.
This year, the extreme kayakars who start at the adidas Sickline World Championship represent more than twenty countries from all over Europe, North America, South America and New Zealand. The top class field includes Slalom Olympic Champions and World Champions.
The start lists resembles the “Who’s Who“ of the international whitewater community: Thilo Niklas Schmitt (GER), adidas Sickline World Champion 2008 and winner of the Outdoor Games Interlaken 2007; Alexander Grimm (GER), Olympic Champion 2008 in Beijing; Sam Sutton (NZL), adidas Sickline Vice World Champion 2008 and Team Race World Champion 2009; Michele Ramazza (ITA), winner of the Extreme Sport Veko 2009 and third at the adidas Sicklne Worlds 2008; Fabian Dörfler (GER), multiple overall Slalom World Cup Champion as well as World and European Champion; Eric Deguil (FRA), winner of the Green Race 2008 and the Cantabria Extreme Race 2008 as well as silver medallist at the Team Race Worlds 2009; Dejan Kralj (SLO), winner of the Teva Extreme Outdoor Games 2009 and fourth at the adidas Sickline Worlds 2008; Robert Bouten (NDL), 9th at the Olympic Games 2008 in Beijing; Andrew Holcombe (USA), winner of the Green Race 2007; Mike Dawson (NZL), Team Race World Champion 2009, winner of the Extreme Sport Veko 2008, second at the Teva Extreme Outdoor Games 2009 as well as Warioa Extreme Champion 2004/2006; Gerd Serrasolses (ESP), sixth at the Freestyle European Championship 2006.
New Race Format
The Top 3 of the previous year– Thilo Schmitt (GER), Sam Sutton (NZL) and Michele Ramazza (ITA) – are automatically qualified for the finals at Wellerbrücke. In addition, 45 athletes can qualify on Friday to compete in the World Championship race. The 48 finalists will compete in a ‚head-to-head’ format, i.e. the fastest of the qualification will battle the 48th, the second fastest will compete against the 47th and so on. The faster kayaker will advance to next round, respectively. In the semi final, the Top 24 compete once again in a dual mode. The 12 remaining athletes will then compete for world champion honours, together with three ‘lucky losers’, i.e. the three fastest of the eliminated finalists.
Whirlpool with Miss Tirol as Hot Seat
The final of the Top 15 takes place on Saturday, October 3rd between 13h00 and 14h00. The finalists will start in reverse order, meaning the kayaker with the slowest race time in the semi final will be the first to start. Afterwards he will climb into the ‚Softub-Whirlpool’, the throne of the fastest athlete. Alongside the acting Miss Tirol, 17-year old Christina Keil from Ötz, he can relax until his time has been beaten. If a finalist is faster, he can dethrone the race leader. The athlete who is still chilling in 38-degree warm water at the end, will be the well-deserved World Champion.
