#Canoeing: It’s 30 kilometres of high-adrenaline challenge; two hours of torture for arm muscles. Yes, it is time for the Liffey Descent, when hundreds of competitors will career down the river from Kildare into Dublin.

 The race on Saturday, September 23^rd, runs from Straffan to Garda Boat Club in Islandbridge. Canoeists in everything from wildwater boats to the speedy racing kayaks (K1 and K2) will carefully negotiate or plunge over 10 weirs. Above the dam in Leixlip they must pull their boat out of the water and carry it for 500 metres. The top competitors will take just two minutes before plunging their craft into the water again.  

 Capsizes are inevitable, and spectators have a ringside view of the unexpected swims at the start, at 12 o’clock at the bridge at the K Club, and down the course at weirs at Lucan and Palmerstown.

 Jenny Egan, the bronze medallist at the World Marathon Championships in South Africa last weekend, will be a star attraction. “I’m really looking forward to it,” said the Ireland international. She won the women’s K1 in the Liffey Descent last year.

 Competitors from Spain, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, South Africa and Britain will line up with paddlers from all over Ireland in an event which has been running for more than five decades. 

 “We will have GPS trackers on selected lead competitors and internationals so the public can view their profiles and follow every step of their journey live online,” says Shane Cronin, the new Liffey Descent coordinator. 

 “We have world-class competitors involved and there could be very fast times. I think this could be one of the best races in recent times.”

#Canoeing: Ireland’s Jenny Egan took a bronze medal in the K1 at the Canoe Marathon World Championships in Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. Lani Belcher, who competes for Britain, took gold at the head of a group of three which broke away from the rest of the field. Vanda Kiszli of Hungary took silver.

 Egan’s World Championship medal capped a season in which she won gold and bronze in the K1 5,000 at canoe sprint World Cup events.

 Rónán Ó Foghladha took fifth in the men’s junior K1.

Canoe Marathon World Championships, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa (Irish interest)

Men - K1: 19 B Watkins 2:15.26; 24 P Egan 2:19.07. Junior: 5 R Foley 1:45.48.

Women – K1: 1 Britain (L Belcher) 2 hrs 5 min 04 seconds, 2 Hungary (V Kiszli) 2:05.10, 3 Ireland (J Egan) 2:05.39; 17 A Smith 2:17.20

#Canoeing: Ireland’s Jenny Egan finished 10^th in the women’s K1 5,000 metres at the canoe sprint World Championships in Racice in the Czech Republic today. In a dramatic race, Dora Bodonyi of Hungary came out with the gold medal after a long battle with Tabea Medert of Germany, who took silver. Lani Belcher of Britain gritted it out as she found her way through the field and won bronze – near the end she clashed with Iuliana Salakhova of Russia, leaving the Russian in the water and out of the race.

 Egan’s chances suffered in rough-and-tumble early stages. She fought hard through the race but could not catch up with the leading group.  

Canoe Sprint World Championships, Racice, Czech Republic (Irish interest)

Women

K1 5000 Final: 1 Hungary 23 min 17.862 sec, 2 Germany 23:19.214, 3 Britain 23:28.236; 10 Ireland (J Egan) 24:34.562.

#Canoeing: Jenny Egan has qualified for the semi-finals of the K1 200 metres at the Canoe Sprint World Championships. The Irish paddler finished seventh in her heat this morning in Racice in the Czech Republic, taking a place as one of the fastest losers. Her semi-final is secheduled for 2.44 Irish time on Saturday.

 Ireland’s Patrick O’Leary will compete in the A Final of the KL3 200, part of the Paracanoe World Championships, also in Racice. O’Leary finished third in his semi-final. His final is scheduled for 1.30 Irish time on Saturday.  

#Canoeing: Ireland’s Jenny Egan took a bronze medal at the canoe sprint World Cup in Belgrade in Serbia today. Australia’s Alyssa Bull took the gold in the K1 5,000 metres from Laia Pelachs of Spain.

Egan (30) started her season with a win in the K1 5,000 at the first World Cup in Montemor-O-Velho in Portugal. She also competed in the second World Cup in Szeged in Hungary.

Canoe Sprint World Cup, Belgrade (Selected Results; Irish interest)

Women

K1 5,000 – Final: 1 Australia (A Bull) 22 minutes 26.080 seconds, 2 Spain (L Pelachs) 22:27.83, 3 Ireland (J Egan) 22:35.60.

#Canoeing: Ireland’s Jenny Egan won the K1 5,000 metres at the first canoe sprint World Cup in Portugal today. The 30-year-old paddler had just .77 of a second to spare over Spain’s Estefania Fernandez after the long battle. Lizzie Broughton of Britain was third.

Canoe Sprint World Cup, Montemor-O-Velho, Portugal Day Two (Irish interest)

Women

K1 200 – A Final: 9 J Egan 42.743.

K1 5,000 – Final: 1 Ireland (J Egan) 22 mins 52.8 seconds, 2 Spain (E Fernandez) 22:53.57, 3 Britain (L Broughton) 22:56.98.

#Canoeing: Jenny Egan qualified for the A Final of the women’s K1 200 metres at the canoe sprint World Cup in Montemor-O-Velho in Portugal today. The Ireland paddler finished third in her semi-final to take the ninth and final place. On Friday, Egan just missed out on qualifying for the final of the K1 500, taking fourth in the semi-final. She will also compete in the K1 5,000 on Sunday.  

Canoe Sprint World Cup, Montemor-O-Velho, Portugal (Irish interest)

Women

K1 500 – Heat One: 5 Ireland (J Egan) 1:56.116. Semi-Final (Three to A Final): 4 Egan 1:55.512.

K1 200 – Heat One: 6 Ireland (J Egan) 45.536. Semi-Final (Three to A Final): 3 Egan 42.103.

#Canoeing: Peter Egan and and Mads Brendt Pedersen won the Liffey Descent today. The K2 paddlers beat Nicky Cresser and Jonathan Boyton in a sprint finish at Islandbridge. The recently-crowned K1 and K2 World Champion, Hank McGregor finished fifth in partnership with Lee Furby. The race featured a spectacular start, with craft after craft crashing after coming over Straffan weir. The K1 of Tom Brennan was one which suffered, but Brennan got back on track and was the fastest in this class. Jenny Egan had a clean run down the course and won the women's K1.

Liffey Descent 2016 (Selected Results; CORRECTED)

Men

K2 - Senior: 1 M Brandt Pedersen, P Egan 1 hour 48 minutes 08 seconds, 2 J Boyton, N Cresser 1:48.14, 3 Z Chmiel, B Oakley 1:50.37, 4 M Fitzsimons, M Brennan 1:51.39, 5 H McGregor, L Furby 1:51.11, 6 A A Heilenga, P Luckar 1:52.13. Masters: 1 D Francis, L Erichsen 1:57.35, 2 J Christie, N Blackman 1:57.57, 3 J Morrissey, S Dark 1:59.42.

K1 - Senior: 1 T Brennan 1:58.21, 2D Corrijn 1:59.22, 23 S McCarthy 1:59.26, 4 J Simmons 2:02.18, 5 J Laenen 2:03.27, 6 E Berezvay 2:03.56. Masters: 1 D Hudson 1:59.55, 2 J Butler 2:03.29, 3 M Banks 2:04.13. Junior: R Foley 2:02.49.

Wild Water - Senior K1: 1 R Millar 2:05.25, 2 C Ryan 2:16.30, 3 T de Barra 2:17.43. Junior: C Cummins 2:08.02.

General Purpose - Senior: 1 J Ringwood 2:26.17. Masters: M Redmond 2:31.41. Junior: A Kennedy 2:32.32.

Women

K2 - Senior: 1 M Van Niekerk, A Smith 2:04.31.

K1 - Senior: 1 J Egan 2:03.44, 2 B Beavitt 2:10.52.

Wild Water - Senior K1: 1 S Eichenberger 2:18.01.

General Purpose - Seniors: L O’Connor 2:53.09. Masters: E Kelly 2:47.45. Junior: C Gurhy 2:52.19.

#Canoeing: Jenny Egan won a gold medal at the canoe sprint World Cup in Montemor-o-Velho in Portugal today. In a sprint to the line in strong winds Egan had .99 of a second to spare over Margaret Hogan of the United States. Melanie Gebhardt of Germany took the bronze. Egan also reached the A Final of the K1 500 metres.

  The Salmon Leap paddler took silver in the last World Cup in Racice in the Czech Republic.

#Canoeing: Jenny Egan finished seventh in her K1 200m final at the canoe sprint European Olympic Qualifier in Duisburg in Germany today. Germany and Sweden secured the top two spots, and with them places at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Egan was in the middle of the group from third to ninth who were covered by less than a second. The Irishwoman was competing in her second final of the day.

Tom Brennan finished ninth in his final of the K1 200, with the top two of  Spain and Hungary qualifying for Rio de Janeiro.

Canoe Sprint European Olympic Qualifier, Duisburg, Germany (Selected Results, Irish interest)

Men

K1 1,000 – Final: 1 Hungary (B Dombvári) 3 min 35.307, 2 Russia (R Anoshkin) 3:35.695; 4 M Fitzsimon 3:38.727.

K1 200 – Final: 1 Spain (S Craviotto) 34.615, 2 Hungary (Be Horváth) 35.077; 9 T Brennan 36.773.

Women

K1 500 – Final: 1 Germany (S Hering) 1 min 55.378, 2 Slovakia (M Kohlová) 1:55.677; 8 J Egan 2:00.270.

K1 200 – Final: 1 Germany (S Volz) 41.470, 2 Sweden (L Stensils) 41.509; 7 J Egan 42.874.  

Paracanoe World Championships, Duisburg

Men - KL3 200 – B Final (Places 10-18): 1 P O’Leary 42.882 seconds.