Thursday, November 2st.- On the second day of sprint canoeing at the San Pedro de La Paz lagoon, Chile has qualified for two new finals: Michael Martínez in the male's C1 1,000 meters category, and the duo of Fernanda Iracheta and Maira Toro in the female's K2 500 meters. They will be competing for medals on Saturday.

On Wednesday, local athletes María José Maillard in the female's C1 200 meters, the duo of Marcelo Godoy and Camilo Valdés in the men's K2 500 meters, and Ysumi Orellana in the female's K1 500 meters had already qualified for their respective finals.

This Thursday, both Martínez and the Iracheta-Toro duo did not secure a direct spot through the first elimination round, but they did manage to qualify through the repechage (semifinals), ensuring their place in the final medal competition.

It's worth noting that in the elimination round, Martínez had finished third behind Brazilian Olympic champion Isquias Queiroz and Cuban athlete José Ramón Pelier, in one of the day's most exciting races, with the South American narrowly winning by a photo finish: 3:35.52 to 3:35.54.

On Friday, speed canoeing will award its first medals in the finals of the female's K1 500 meters, K4 500 meters, and C1 200 meters, as well as the men's K2 and C2 500 meters.

Written by Gonzalo Villegas; translated by Vicente Valdivia / Photosport
Photo by Carlos Acuña / Santiago2023 / Photosport