Cno: Cold a late setback for Baggaley

AAP General News (Australia)
08-21-2004
Cno: Cold a late setback for Baggaley

By Jordan Baker

ATHENS, Aug 21 AAP - For once, things looked like going to plan for Australia's flatwater
kayakers.

Their year of appeals, arguments and qualifying dramas was behind them, the paddlers
were in top form and rivals Nathan Baggaley and Clint Robinson were finally getting along.

But days before the competition, Baggaley, the K1 500 world champion for the past two
years and one of Australia's key gold medal hopes, has caught a cold.

Baggaley said it was never good to be "fluey" close to competition but doctors had
moved quickly to treat him and he was likely to be back to 100 per cent by Monday.

"I was probably too anxious and too pumped up, it was just a little bit of a wakeup
call," Baggaley said from the team's sub-camp close to the Schinias rowing and canoeing
centre.

"It's better to get it now rather than when when racing starts.

"It shouldn't be a major problem at all, I've just got to to be careful I don't let
it go and develop into something."

Other than the cold, Baggaley is happy with his preparation.

"My training is going well, my times are going well, I'm in the fittest shape of my
life ever and if I was ever going to do it, now's the time," he said.

Baggaley will paddle the K1 500 and K1 1000, as well as the K2 500 with Barcelona Olympic
gold medallist Clint Robinson.

Flatwater kayaking and canoeing begin on Monday with two days of heats, followed by
semi finals on Wednesday and Thursday and finals at the weekend.

Australia's high performance manager Peter Horne said the team is has a solid chance
of one gold and one minor medal.

The strongest chance for gold was Baggaley but another medal could come from the Baggaley/Robinson
duo or K1 2000 paddlers Daniel Collins and David Rhodes.

Former Mr Bulgaria Martin Marinov, who is now a naturalised Australian, is also an
outside chance of a medal in the C1 1000.

Baggaley was almost Australia's sole representative at the Olympics after a disastrous
world championships last year in which only he produced performances strong enough to
qualify.

But the team worked hart to turn itself around and at the European championships earlier
this year booked berths in the men's K2 1000, the women's K2 and the women's K4.

AAP jb/nh

KEYWORD: OLY CNO AUST

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