CANOE/KAYAK-SPRINT: Ken Wallace has capped off his excellent World Cup campaign by winning Gold in the men’s K1 5000 in Poznan, Poland overnight.

It was a fitting way to end his World Cup campaign, with the 29 year old taking his medal tally to five, adding the K1 5000 gold to his K1 500 triumphs at the first two World Cups in Hungary and the Czech Republic.

The final was a two horse race with Wallace fighting tooth and nail with 2011 European champion Aleh Yurenia of Belarus for line honours, and it was Wallace who won the battle, winning in 19:50.99, 0.57 seconds ahead of Yurenia, with Argentina kayaker Daniel Dal-bo in third more than six seconds further back.

Fellow Australian Lachlan Tame finished 17th, over a minute behind Wallace.

Earlier in the day the pair combined to use the men’s K2 200 B final as a warm up event for their K1 500 A final, where Tame produced his best World Cup performance finishing sixth, with Wallace three spots further back in ninth.

Australia concludes the 2013 World Cup Series with eight medals, five of those gold, with Ken’s younger sister Bernadette Wallace featuring in the other two winning boats at World Cup 2, the first in the K2 1000 with Manly star Naomi Flood and the second in the K1 5000 event where she pipped Flood in a one-two for the Australians.

There will be little rest for the Australian paddlers, with team selection for the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Duisburg, Germany to take place at the Sydney International Regatta Centre from 21-23 June.

Australian Canoeing