Olympics: Bachmann scrapes into canoe semi-finals
St Gallen canoeist Adrian Bachmann has reached the semi-finals of the 1000 metres kayak sprint, securing the last qualifying spot.
Bachmann’s qualifying route reflected his entry into the Games themselves – the 24-year-old was the last canoeist to be granted an Olympic spot after a number of countries failed to fill their allocated spaces.
As a student of micro technology Bachmann seems well used to tight squeezes. After the first heat he said that he was often a slow starter.
“I’m not generally that good in the first races,” he admitted. “But here I was particularly tense. For us canoeists the Olympics are as big as it gets, and I am a sensitive guy.”
Bachmann added that he was not too disappointed with his performance since his main concern is in the 500 metres discipline, the heats for which begin on Wednesday.
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