The Olympic Federation of Ireland has announced that Clare native Liam Jegou, who competes in the Canoe Slalom, is the first athlete to be selected for the Tokyo Olympics.
Originally from Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare, Jegou has already stamped his mark on the international stage, winning silver in the 2014 Junior World Championships and bronze in the 2019 U23 World Championships. The 24-year-old will compete in the C1 category at the Kasai Canoe Slalom Centre in Tokyo from the 26-27 July 2020.
Jegou is the second Irish athlete ever to compete in the C1 Canoe Slalom at the Olympics, with the only other athlete being Mike Corcoran, who last competed in Atlanta 1996, the year in which Jegou was born.
Jegou has spent most of his life in France, engaged in training in Pau on whitewater courses.
Jegou has exclusively told OTB that it's a dream come true to represent his country at the Summer Games:
“Yeah it’s going to be crazy, I’ve dreamt about that moment for a very long time. It’s about 12 years of hard work, of training and thinking about that objective; to get to the Olympics and experience that. I’m very much looking forward to it.”
Jegou isn't worried about the heat and humidity that will greet Team Ireland in Japan:
“I’m not too worried. I think we’ve got the perfect sport for it, we’re in the water all the time. We’re used to warm conditions as well. In 2018, the world championships were in Rio, so you can’t get any worse than that. We came second at the Junior World Championships in 2014 in Australia, so I’m well used to the heat. That won’t bother me.”
The difference between C1 and K1 in Canoeing is that the C1 category involves the athletes using a single-bladed paddle to propel the boat forward while kneeling in the canoe. The K1 athlete is seated and uses a double-bladed paddle. C1 Canoe Slalom has been on the Olympic programme since 1992 as a men’s event, and 2020 is the first year that a C1 women’s event is included, in the IOC move towards gender-balanced games.
Ireland has a rich history in K1 Canoe Slalom, with Ian Wiley and Eoin Rheinisch competing in the event for three Olympic Games each between 1992 and 2012. Eadaoin Ní Challarain was the first Irish female canoe slalom racer, competing in the K1 in 2000 and 2004, and in London 2012 Hannah Craig raced in this event also. Jegou was nominated for the 2020 slot after finishing on top in the three-race selection criteria, which included the World Championships in Spain, the event in which Ireland qualified the coveted Olympic berth courtesy of Robert Hendrick, another talented Irish racer.
This is the first official Team Ireland Tokyo team announcement.
Many sports have ongoing selections and competitions with team announcements expected to come more frequently as we approach the summer, with the final announcement scheduled for the beginning of July.
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