Egan siblings secure National Canoe Marathon Championships
THERE was joy for Jenny and Peter Egan at the National Canoe Marathon Championships at the weekend.
Jenny came home first in the Senior Women’s K1 Irish National Marathon Championship, while Peter won both the the K1 Single and K2 Double National Marathon Kayak Champ-ionships.
The Championships were held last weekend at Salmon Leap Canoe Club.
In the K1 the Senior Men’s Kayak race was held on the Saturday over a 20km course comprising of five 4km laps.
Immediately off the start line a group of six broke away, including Egan, and this set the scene for the rest of the race.
This group kept up a fast pace so the chasing groups behind were unable to close the gap.
The leading group increased their lead by over three minutes by the end of the fourth lap.
With one lap to go, the leading group was reduced to three boats, Egan, Foley and O`Neill.
The race was now on for who was going to become National Champion for 2017. A bit of “cat and mouse” prevailed between these three athletes when with 200m to go Egan sprinted for the finish line to take first place with Ronan Foley second (Kilcullen Canoe Club) and Brian O`Neill third (Salmon Leap Canoe Club).
Sunday was the turn of the K2 doubles race over the same course as Saturday.
Egan paired up with O`Neill and this combination took the lead from the start. They extended their lead lap on lap and eventually winning the K2 title easily.
Egan commented that he “was delighted to win the K1 and the K2 National Titles”.
He also commented that “it was a great occasion that his sister Jenny also won the K1 Senior Womens Title.”
