RIO DE JANEIRO - Men's canoe single (C1) 200m champion Iurii CHEBAN (UKR) just squeezed into the Rio 2016 final during racing at the Lagoa Stadium on Wednesday.
CHEBAN, who took gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games, was third in his semifinal, winning the last qualifying place on the basis of his time and pushing out Oleg TARNOVSCHI (MDA), whose brother Serghei won bronze in the C1 1000m on Tuesday.
Isaquias QUEIROZ DOS SANTOS (BRA), who took silver in the 1000m, is on course for another podium place after qualifying fastest for Thursday's 200m final.
Four Rio 2016 Olympic Games medallists will contest the women's kayak single (K1) 500m. The K1 200m gold medallist Lisa CARRINGTON (NZL) and bronze medallist Inna OSIPENKO-RODOMSKA (AZE) will be in the final along with gold and silver medallists from the kayak double (K2) 500m Danuta KOZAK (HUN) and Franziska WEBER (GER).
KOZAK won the K1 500m at London 2012 just ahead of OSIPENKO-RODOMSKA, who had won the K1 500m gold at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
The men's kayak double (K2) 200m final features two former Olympic champions - five-time Olympian Ronald RAUHE (GER) and Saul CRAVIOTTO (ESP). CRAVIOTTO won gold in this event in Beijing 2008 and RAUHE won the K2 500m at Athens 2004.
CRAVIOTTO and partner Cristian TORO (ESP) qualified directly for the final, while RAUHE and Tom LIEBSCHER (GER) came through the semifinals behind London 2012 bronze medallists Liam HEATH/Jon SCHOFIELD (GBR).
Paddlers displayed a range of different tactics during the course of the morning's racing. Some, like the pairing of Max RENDSCHMIDT/Marcus GROSS (GER) in the men's K2 1000m, set out to dominate the heat.
Others, such as Ken WALLACE/Lachlan TAME (AUS), practised a fast start in the heats before cruising to the finish and then qualifying through the semifinals. Afterwards WALLACE said the duo were glad to have another race under their belts, saying: "The more times we hear the gunshot, the more times we come down the course the better."
Thursday's action
Thursday's racing features the A and B finals of the four events raced on Wednesday.
If 22-year-old Zaza NADIRADZE (GEO) can replicate Wednesday's semifinal-winning performance in the men's C1 200m he could pick up a first canoe sprint medal for Georgia.
