Lefevre, Eichfeld headline the list of 2014 Slalom World Championship qualifiers

 

USA Canoe/Kayak is proud to nominate the following athletes to the 2014 U.S. Slalom World Championship Team:

Men's K-1: Fabien Lefevre (Bethesda, Md.), Michal Smolen (Gastonia, N.C.), Rick Powell(Parkesburg, Pa.)

Women's K-1: Dana Mann (Washington, D.C.), Ashley Nee (Darnestown, Md.), Anna Maria Ifarraguerri (McLean, Va.)

Men's C-1: Fabien Lefevre (Bethesda, Md.), Casey Eichfeld (Drums, Pa.), Zach Lokken (Durango, Colo.)

Women's C-1: Colleen Hickey (Okawville, Ill.), Micki Reeves (Grand Junction, Colo.), Tracy Hines (Mount Holly, N.C.)

Men's C-2: Eichfeld/Devin McEwan (Salisbury, Conn.), Jeff Larimer (Marietta, Ga.)/Eric Hurd (Woodstock, Ga.), Benn Fraker (Peachtree City, Ga.)/Scott McCleskey (Sylva, N.C.)

The above athletes will compete at the ICF Slalom World Championships in McHenry, Md., Sept. 16-21, 2014.

Who: The best U.S. slalom athletes

What: 2014 USA Canoe/Kayak Slalom Team Trials

When: March 28-30

Where: U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C.

Why is it important: This is the qualifier for the 2014 Slalom World Championships, which will be held on U.S. soil for the first time in 25 years.

Links: Results. Deep Creek 2014 World Championships.

The U.S. will field a veteran squad at the World Championships, including a combined 8 Olympic appearances. Fabien Lefevre, a two-time Olympic medalist for France, will be joined on Team USA by Olympians Casey Eichfeld (2012, 2008), Rick Powell (2008), Benn Fraker (2008), Jeff Larimer (2012) and Eric Hurd (2012).

Lefevre finished first in both men's K-1 and C-1 and will look to improve upon his 4th place finish at the 2013 World Championships. Michal Smolen and Zach Lokken will compete in both the Senior and Under-23 World Championships in Penrith, Australia.

"It was quite windy and that made runs complicated to paddle for the third race," Lefevre said. "My two first places yesterday in K-1 and C-1 for the last race allowed me to be the winner of the US National Trials. I'm very happy and proud to represent the US for another season! ... The US Team looks pretty similar compared with last season and that certainly creates a good atmosphere in the group. Technically speaking, I am satisfied with my races and get new leads to work on for the next few months."

In women's K-1, Dana Mann and Ashley Nee battled all weekend with Mann recording the fastest time on two of three days. Colleen Hickey ran away with top honors among women's canoes. Coming off their Gold Medal performance at the Oceania Championships, the C-2 pairing of Eichfeld and McEwan continued their momentum at Trials separating themselves from the rest of the field. Rarely competing since the 2012 season, Fraker, Hurd, and Larimer returned to the water to qualify for the World Championships in men's C-2.

"Slalom Trials accomplished it's first goal - to select the best team possible to represent the United States and ultimately achieve great results at the 2014 Slalom World Championships in Western MD," said USA Canoe/Kayak CEO Joe Jacobi. "Our top athletes performed extremely well and are making incredible strides on their racing. We are grateful to the U.S. National Whitewater Center for hosting an excellent event."