Joe Clarke on the crest of a wave
Staffordshire's Joe Clarke finished his Olympic preparations in style as he clinched gold in the men's kayak on day two of the Slalom World Cup in Poland.
Clarke, who is a member of Stafford & Stone, stormed the heats before comfortably negotiating his way through the semi-finals to go off seventh in the final.
The double 2023 World Champion paddled to victory in the K1 with a time of 85.33 seconds to claim his first triumph in the kayak since winning the world title at Lee Valley last term.
Focus will now turn to the Paris Olympics as the Rio 2016 gold medallist prepares for his second games.
Following his victory, the 31-year-old said: "This is a huge result. I've put down good runs in the heats throughout the season, but not transferred them to semi-finals.
"This is my first World Cup final and a great run in the final too. It bodes well and builds the confidence for the Games next month.
"I've had lots of great results here in the past, winning bronze last season and silver in 2022, so I am happy to win gold."
