Photo courtesy of Getty Images
After winning the four-race men’s K1 kayak Olympic trials in Charlotte, North Carolina on April 13, second-year Carleton University political science major, Michael Tayler, was selected by CanoeKayak Canada to represent his country at the 2012 Olympic Games.
The selection was based on the competitors’ best three out of four rankings, with the fastest time on the fourth run counting as a tie breaker. After the third race, five athletes were in a position to take first by winning the final run.
At just 20 years old, Tayler turned heads by ranking as the top Canadian in the opening round. He pulled through with a victory on the last run, winning by a narrow margin of 0.11 seconds.
The national team trials took place over two days and were also used to select Senior A and B teams for World Cups in Europe in June.
Tayler will now attend a training session on the Olympic course in Hertfordshire, England from April 23 - May 5. He will also compete in his first two World Cup competitions in Pau, France, June 15-17, and Seu d’Urgell, Spain, June 22-24.
