Joe Clarke left watching on as Olympic history slips away
Joe Clarke was not where he wanted to be.
As the music began to blare, announcing the start of the medal ceremony for the canoe slalom K1 event, the Stone paddling star found himself not standing behind the podium but instead in front of journalists, trying to find the words to sum up his frustration at a fifth-placed finish.
In a cruel twist of fate and unfortunate placement, the ceremony of which he had so desperately wanted to be part was being broadcast on a big screen no more than 20 yards away. At one point, Clarke risked a look and just maybe, you thought, there was a slight wince as he reflected on the moment which got away.
Not even two hours earlier the mood at Vaires-sur-Marne had been very different. Clarke set the fastest time in the semi-final, putting his finger to his lips and kissing it after crossing the line. The Rio 2016 gold medallist’s dream of becoming the first ever two-time men’s Olympic champion in kayak singles seemed very much on.
But this is a sport where the only run which really matters is the last one. Clarke’s final time was by no means bad, just three-tenths slower than that of earlier in the afternoon. The trouble was four other paddlers were just that bit quicker, that bit smoother through the whitewater.
Spain’s Pau Echaniz, who scraped into the final with the 12th fastest qualifying time and was the first man off, laid down a big early marker by going faster than even Clarke had earlier.
Only two men, by the finish, had bettered him, Italy’s Giovanni de Gennaro taking gold ahead of France’s Titouan Castryck.
