Britain's top paracanoe athletes resumed the Paralympic selection series as two tight Va'a rounds took place at a blustery National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham.
The second day of the regatta also saw the start of the Open & British, Masters and Under 23 Sprint National Championships, which included junior and U23 World Championships selection.
World and Paralympic Champion Emma Wiggs MBE secured two great victories in the women's VL2 rounds to put herself in strong contention for the Paralympic Games in Paris this summer.
Up against Tokyo bronze medallist Jeanette Chippington OBE, Wiggs put in a powerful first round performance to cross the line in 1:00.82 ahead of her British teammate.
She then went on to perform stronger in the second round, finishing in 58.45.
Pleased with her two days of racing, Wiggs said:
“It's been a long time coming, this regatta. I'm really pleased with my deliveries in a tricky wind, a kind of wind we could get in Paris. Just happy to put down some great runs.
“We are one step closer to that Paris announcement. I said to Jeanette after the race, I'm so proud to race alongside her and fingers crossed we get selected for the Games. I'm grateful to be part of this wider team.
“There's been very little between us this regatta and that only makes GB stronger this summer.”
2023 World Champion Hope Gordon and 2024 World Champion Charlotte Henshaw MBE were also back on course for day two of Paralympic selection, as they went head to head in the women's VL3
With the event set to make its Paralympic debut in Paris this summer, it was Gordon who won both rounds to boost her chances of reaching a first summer Paralympic Games.
Very little separated the pair with less than a second between on the first run, before Gordon improved on her second time to post 59.03.
Gordon said:
“I was happy with my racing across this weekend. My KL3 yesterday was strong, and then to back that up with two wins here in the VL3 is fantastic.
“It's been tough and tiring this weekend, coming into it off the back of a tough block of training and the World Championships.
“I'm hoping it's an exciting summer ahead for me. After missing out on Tokyo it was tough, so it's an exciting prospect if I were to be part of this team going to Paris.”
Saturday also saw U23 and Junior athletes on course to secure places on the upcoming World Championships taking place this summer in Plovdiv, whilst U23 and Masters paddlers had their eye on National titles.
Kristina Armstrong (Scottish Performance Squad) kicked off her June selection regatta with a strong win in the U23 women's K1 500m final.
Armstrong went head-to-head with Zoe Clark (Royal) after the pair won their respective heats, and it was the 2023 Junior World bronze medallist who took the National Title.
Armstrong said:
“I'm really happy with today. It's been quite difficult conditions but every time I felt a wind I just had to remind myself to keep putting power down and keep going to get the 500m win.
“It's been a great start to the year. Going to Poznan and racing the seniors with the more experienced paddlers gave me a great insight into what more I can be doing and how I can be better. I'll be looking to carry that through to the U23 season.
“It's my first year at U23, I moved to Nottingham to focus on paddling and I've learned so much this year. It's been a great experience.”
Clark returned for the 1000m final where she secured a convincing win in 4:37.01 to claim the National Championship and increase her Plovdiv selection chances.
Annabel Hutchinson (Reading) boosted her World Championship selection opportunity after taking top spots in both the U18 500m & 1000m finals respectively.
Richmond paddler Nelson Kinzler and Huw Singleton (Nottingham) won the first selection race of the day as they triumphed in the U18 K2M 500m final in a solid time of 1:41.68.
A thrilling U23 K2M 500m final saw Xavier Hinves (Southampton) and Dylan O'Connor (Richmond) pip Benji Cabrera (Fowey) and Phil MIles (Royal Leamington Spa) on the line as 0.11 seconds separated the crews.
Miles returned to win the national title in the men's K1 1000m final after an assured performance saw him post a time of xxx as he heads into his final season as an U23 paddler.
He said:
“I'm pleased with the 1000m. There were some challenging conditions today so for me it was about really challenging my technique.
“As Brits were used to racing in these tough conditions so it’s helpful if we get them internationally.
“I'm feeling confident as it's my final U23 year. I've had a number of National Championship wins over the years so it was about enjoying racing and a good way to prepare for the U23s later this busy summer.”
Clark and Miles concluded their first day with a narrow win in the U23 mixed K2 500m final ahead of Armstrong and O'Connor.
Hutchinson and Nelson Kinzler (Richmond) were triumphant in the U18 mixed K2 500m, whilst Lucas Huan (Royal Leamington Spa) and George Bell (Fladbury) won the C2M U23/U18 500m final.
In the U18 K1M 1000m final, it was Toby Bullock (Exeter) who powered away from the chasing pack to claim a deserved victory in a time of 4:01.43, finishing nearly two seconds ahead.
Lincoln's Tom Lambert hit the regatta in fine form from the World Cup in Poznan to win the U23 C1M 1000m national title and put himself in strong contention for the U23 World Championships.
Amy Green (Worcester), Elise Montagna (Royal), Katie Pocklington (Nottingham) and Jessie Urqahart (Nottingham) combined to win the National Championship in the K4 women's U23 500m final as they look to race the U23 World Championships.
Dianora De Bilio (Royal), Charlotte Fulford (Reading) , Frankie Scrivener (Falcon) and Kamila Sklenarova (Norwich) were triumphant in the U18 selection race.
Nottingham clubmates Gabriel Popham-Coveley and Dominic Stanley concluded their day with a win in the K2M U23 1000m, whilst Toby Bullock won his second selection race of the day in the U18 K2 1000m, racing with Joe Enoch (Nottingham).
It was an exciting conclusion, with a photo-finish and 0.01 second between them and Freddie Heard (Exeter) and Olivier Mazur (Reading).
In the Masters, Matthew Villaruel (Ealing) took two national titles for the day, winning the 054 K1 1000m and 200m. Edgar Boehm (Reading) won both the O44 1000m and 200m titles.
Reading's Kat Wilson won the 034 K1 women's 500m, whilst she joined forces with Joanne Bates (Reading) to win titles in the K2 200m and 1000m.
A full list of results from today's racing can be found here