Express & Star

Joe Clarke fifth in world final

Joe Clarke couldn’t repeat his Olympic heroics in Brazil after finishing fifth in the World Championships.

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Staffordshire ace Clarke was aiming to add to his Olympic gold after reaching the final of the kayak K1 event in Rio de Janeiro. However, losing four seconds in penalties proved costly for Clarke, a member of Stafford & Stone Canoe Club, on what was the same course as for his wonderful Rio gold medal win in 2016.

Germany’s Hannes Aigner won the title this time, ahead of Jiri Prskavec from the Czech Republic and Pavel Eigel from Russia.

However, it was still a good week for 25-year-old Clarke – fourth in the world rankings – who claimed a world title in the K1 Team Slalom.