France wins Men's C1 team event

World Number one and dethroned World Champion in the Men's C1 Tony Estanguet (FRA) combined with Olivier Lalliet and Pierre Labarelle to take out the teams title for the Men's C1 at the Canoe Slalom World Championships at the Penrith Whitewater Stadium here Monday.

The French team clocked up 656 penalty points in the Men's C2 after a paddle on Philippe Quemerais and Yann Lepennec's boat snapped, but French fortunes made a dramatic turnaround with the C1 win, the last race of the Championships.

After an awesome day yesterday, Germany sliced down the course finishing just .43 seconds behind the French, with slick, sharp turns at the challenging upstream gates of eight and nine.

There was a significant time gap between the rest of the field however, with the bronze medallists from the Czech Republic coming in 5.63 behind the winners.

Two gate hits -- at 13 and 14 -- cost the Czechs dearly, but they still managed to take third.

The Australians, including the newly crowned C1 World Champion Robin Bell, were unlucky not to be on the podium, missing out by just .68 seconds.

Great Britain came in at a disappointing seventh after Daniel Goddard rolled his canoe as they approached the finish line.

ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships 2005
Event Review
 
Penrith Whitewater Stadium

By Scott Richardson
Infostrada Sports