The 2012 African Slalom Championships concluded on Saturday with one of the biggest upsets yet in the race for paddlers to qualify for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Beijing 2008 bronze medallist Benjamin Boukpeti had to settle for second best in Bethlehem, South Africa after failing to secure the first place finish required to qualify for the London Games.
The Togolese who was unsuccessful in his attempt to qualify for the Games through the World Championships in Bratislava last year was outperformed by ICF Talent Identification Programme’s newest protégé Johnathan Akinyemi of Nigeria. Akinyemi took first place, retained his African Slalom Men’s K1 Champion title, and secured the all important Olympic quota place!
In the other decisive category, Jihane Samlal (MAR) dominated the Women’s K1 event and convincingly won the gold medal to also secure the Olympic quota place. Debra Merembe (UGA) and Grace Maina (KEN) won the silver and bronze medals respectively.
The Championships were the final opportunity for paddlers from Africa to qualify for the Olympic Games. The next Olympic Games qualifier will be the 2012 Oceania Canoe Slalom Continental Championships in Penrith, Australia which takes place from 24-26 February.
Final results from the 2012 African Canoe Slalom Championships can be found on the ICF Website: www.canoeicf.com and picture gallery on www.facebook.com/internationalcanoefederation.
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