Kimberley Woods (Rugby) and Joe Clarke (Stafford and Stone) were both equally imperious to secure a glorious golden double at the 2023 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships as the British team crowned their best ever performance at the event on home waters at the Lee Valley White Water Centre.
A dramatic final day involving the new Olympic kayak cross event, Woods first overcame disappointment in the K1 event on Saturday to storm to her first individual world gold with a brilliant final performance in the women's event before Clarke, who 24 hours ago won his maiden world title in the K1, showed his supreme class to dominate the men's.
All eight GB boats progressed out of the time trial stage but it was Woods and Clarke who showed resolve and class to reach finals.
Both had to come from behind as well with Woods ending the event with four medals – two gold, one silver and one bronze – while for Clarke he's now won every men's kayak cross world title since it's introduction in 2021.
Sitting on six medals before the final day, the British team ended with eight in total – five gold, two silver and one bronze – from these World Championships, surpassing the previous career best hauls of seven in 2018 and 1983. Five gold medals in total also smashes the previous best of three from 1983 and 1981.
Kimberley Woods said: “Wow – I can't believe I can call myself a world champion. It took me a little while [to get going].
“After the time trial, it was like ‘OK let's build through round and round'. It was really tough for the first couple of rounds and the final, again, it was ‘don't come last'.
“To be coming out of the start pool in second, I believed in myself a lot. It is my super strength – being adaptable and instinctive and not trying to anticipate what other people are doing.
“It is about staying in my A game all the way down the course and I've shown that this year. To have four girls get through the time trial shows the strength that we have got, especially on our home course.”
Joe Clarke said: “It is hard to put into words really – it's like a dream weekend. I got my first title in the K1 and this is the third time I have done it in the kayak cross. I am a triple world champion in kayak cross – 2021, 2022 and 2023 – it's fantastic.
“There was only one more medal up for grabs and that was the team event. We gave that a good shot and I feel like on another occasion we would have got a medal in that as well. For me – it's been perfect.”
Woods – who ranked third following the time trial at the start of the morning – got a great start in the women's kayak cross final and, in going left at gate two, would produce a great move to take the lead from Camille Prigent of France.
She battled her way through gates three and four to keep the lead however could not let up a single bit with Prigent and Eva Tercelj of Slovenia chasing her down ahead of the roll section of the course.
Woods went left at gate five and would be supremely efficient again to come out with just a surge to the line needed for her to emphatically claim her first individual World Championship title.
In doing so, Woods had to come up against British teammate Nikita Setchell (Nottingham) in the quarter-finals – a race packed with the kind of drama kayak cross is known for.
Setchell stalked Woods after the start and went left at the first gate with the pair coming out first and second. Woods would have difficulty at gate five which presented Setchell with a genuine chance to push into the top two.
There was little to separate the two through the final section of the course with both sprinting for the line as they came through gate six. Such was the closeness of the pair a photo finish was needed with Woods just edging it.
Kimberley Woods said: “It is really hard having a teammate in one of the rounds. You don't want to hurt them in any way. I felt really awful for Niki but she gave it a hell of a good fight when I messed it up halfway down.
“It's probably been more relaxed than at World Cup races because we actually had a bit of a longer time at the start but the rest gets shorter and shorter [as you move through the rounds]. I have been doing it a little while now and working with my gym coach and my coach to find that right nutrition routine to feel like I have still got energy.”
Earlier in the heats of the women's kayak cross, Mallory Franklin's (Windsor) week – which has seen her win team and individual canoe golds and kayak team bronze – came to an unfortunate end as she was adjudged to have faulted in the eighth and final heat.
Second quickest in the time trial to earn the best choice of lane draw for that heat, Franklin battled for position after the start with her speed allowing her to surge ahead in front at the first gate.
She exited it superbly to build a healthy lead, which – at the time – looked as if it would see her cruise through as the heat winner. However Franklin was unfortunately adjudged to have faulted at gate five and so missed out on a place in the quarter-finals.
Fellow bronze medallist in the women's kayak team event Phoebe Spicer (Lee Valley) had the honour of being the first of the eight British athletes to compete in anger as the women's kayak cross heats began the knockout phase of the event.
Drawn in heat three, Spicer found it tight at gate one only to make up time by gate four to keep herself in contention for the quarter-finals. She deliberately went left at gate five in order to sneak into the top two but couldn't navigate the congestion as she finished fourth.
Clarke picked up where he left off in the K1 in the time trial of the men's kayak cross, setting the quickest time, and kept his composure to navigate his way into the final, especially in the quarter-finals.
In the final he was third coming off the start ramp but a combination of pure speed and smart decisions set him up superbly for what would come. Clarke went right at gate one and had it to himself – surging around it for a lead that he was never going to relinquish.
He was smooth through gates three and four, faultless through the roll zone before tackling gate five with poise. It appeared as if Clarke dipped to his left coming out of gate five but it was nothing and he powered through gate six and to the line for gold.
Like Woods, who came up against Setchell in the women's quarter-finals, Clarke was in the same heat and quarter-final as Jonny Dickson (CR Cats). In that quarter-final Dickson unfortunately missed gate three, which effectively ended his chances.
Joe Clarke said: “It comes thick and fast. This morning I woke up and I knew I wanted to try and go out there and get another title. I was happy with the K1 but I wanted to build on that and get another one.
“I won the time trial but I felt slightly jaded. I warmed up and felt my best in the semi-final. That final comes so quickly – it's a long course and there is lactic in the arms – I left nothing out there on the course and became a world champion.
“Canoe and kayaking in this country is getting stronger and stronger – that's the legacy of this 2012 [London Olympic Games] venue. Much more success means a bit more money and hopefully more people taking part and more success – it goes around in a big circle.”
Etienne Chappell (Newport) was the third Brit in action in the fourth quarter-final and took his time before navigating gate one in a bid to jump up the positions. He wasn't clean through it however which impacted the rest of his run. He still fought all the way to the line but was unable to break into the top two.
Chris Bowers (Stafford and Stone), meanwhile, unfortunately did not advance out of the men's kayak cross heats. Drawn in the seventh and penultimate heat, he had work to do after the start and then found gate one tricky to get around.
Not to be put off Bowers battled all the way through the rest of the course but, try as he might, he could not reel in Finn Butcher of New Zealand for the crucial second spot to advance in that seventh of eight heats.
Canoe Slalom and Kayak Cross Performance Director, Mark Ratcliffe, said:
On the week
“I'm absolutely ecstatic. To round it off with the team and recognize all the performances across the week. It’s hard to count them all up – PBs, medals in teams, medals in individual, slalom, and kayak cross.
“You hope going into it you can make a bit of history. Home championships don’t come around often. And to now finish with our best ever world championships is phenomenal
“You are focusing on individual performances but you’re keeping an eye on that [Olympic quotas] all the way through without making you know it obvious. All the nations are doing the same.”
On achieving Olympic quota places
“It’s down to the team that we’ve achieved that, that was job number one. So I'm really, really pleased. We can head with a full team to Paris now and select the athletes into that. But, again, it is down to the whole team that we’ve achieved that.”
On how proud he is
“I am proud of everybody. From the first timers into the team to the most experienced members of the team. To all the staff – we’ve had a big staff group here working behind the scenes putting all the effort in and I couldn’t ask for more.
“I hope they all enjoy the moment. Enjoy tonight and the experience and the celebrations and really reflect on how proud they can be of themselves.”
On the home support
“We’ve got people here that were inspired by watching events like this that have gone on to compete themselves and you hope that they’ll do the same. That level of inspiration that comes off watching a home paddler on a home course is very, very special. So, yeah, absolutely amazing.”
On the team behind the team
“It is the team behind the team, there isn’t it? Without the smooth running of the event the athletes couldn’t do what they’re doing. We've got local volunteers and the slalom community and the Centre and then obviously our support and partners – Lottery, UK Sport – the whole have contributed to it being the event that it is so massive. Thanks to everyone.”
On Paris next
“It was always going to be a big end to the season. This was obviously the main priority for us in terms of quota. But it is a really good opportunity to go out on the Paris venue ahead of the Games and experience a high level competition and learn as much as possible from that event. Then obviously we'll build that into our preparation going into next year.”
On having four world champions
“You just know the level of competition that there is here from across the world and the pressure that comes of delivering in those final moments – be it kayak cross or slalom and to do it is super hard and for four athletes to do that across those events is unbelievable so hats off to them, they’ve been amazing.”
British team medal tally:
Gold (5): Women's canoe team, Mallory Franklin [Women's canoe], Joe Clarke [Men's kayak, Men's kayak cross], Kimberley Woods [Women's kayak cross]
Silver (2): Men's canoe team, Kimberley Woods [Women's canoe]
Bronze (1): Women's kayak team