The second day of Olympic ompetition was not kind to American paddlers. The first full day of men's single canoe (C-1) and men's single kayak (K-1) heats found U.S. C-1 competitor Casey Eichfeld and U.S. K-1 Olympic veteran Scott Parsons below the cutoff to advance. Both paddlers received penalties without which would have placed them in the semi-finals.
Well, that's the storyline anyway. However, we must remember, this is a sport where penalties are the norm and not the exception. The whole goal of Olympic Slalom Canoe/Kayak is to get down the course without missing or hitting the hanging gates in the fastest time. Penalties happen for either infraction, more common is touching a gate. At any rate, its been a great run for both of these athletes and now they get to cheer on fellow Americans Eric Hurd and Jeff Latimer in the C-2 and Caroline Queen in the women's K-1 event. Tim Hornsby and Carrie Johnson will represent the U.S. in the Flatwater Events once the lake is clear from the rowing competition in the 2nd half of these games.
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