Slovakian Jana Dukatova was delighted to win her first K1 title on Australian shores with victory at the Oceania Championships in Penrith on Saturday.
 
The 2006 world champion edged Rio prospect Jessica Fox by 0.09 seconds to take the win in 105.09.
 
Dukatova was happy with the improvements she made from the heats through to Saturday’s final.
 
“My start yesterday and then in the semi-final was a little bit slower, a bit like when you start a diesel car, you know it is not going fast in the beginning but the final run was much better, I made a few small mistakes but finally, it was enough to win,” Dukatova said.
 
“I am really happy because I think in the past I have never won here in Penrith early in the season, I was on the podium a few times but I never won.”
 
Dukatova and her Slovakian teammates decided to start their Olympic preparations in Penrith as it is the best place to paddle at this time of year.
 
“I really love the course here, it is one of the best courses I would say so it is perfect for early season training and everything, it is perfect when you have gym, you can go running, everything in one place so Penrith is great.”
 
Dukatova is currently the frontrunner to earn the exclusive Slovakian K1 spot in Rio. The London Olympian has currently completed three of the four selection trials with the final to take place at the European Championships in May.
 
“I have got quite a lot of points in the races last year, I cannot say that I am 100% sure for it but it looks pretty good, I just need one more race with a good result.”
 
Dukatova wasn’t the only success for the Slovakian team on Saturday with Matej Benus winning the C1 men’s final.
 
When Dukatova started her career the Slovakian team dominated the international scene led by the likes of Michal Martikan, Elena Kaliska and the Hochshorner brothers with their superior technical skills but in recent times, the sport has changed.
 
“Now its not only about technical skills it is about dynamics and power so now it is not so easy for Slovakia to win, so we are really happy to win such races where almost all of the athletes from all around the world were present at the start so it was a very quality race here,” Dukatova said.
 
Dukatova will spend another two weeks training in Penrith before heading to Rio for a training camp. She will then return home to Slovakia to prepare the final selection race at Liptovsky Mikulas in May.

Photo credit - Pavol Uhrin