Kate Eckhardt says she is feeling more confident after making the final of the C1 event at the 2019 ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom World Championships.
The Tasmanian qualified fourth fastest for the final, and would've been second quickest if not for a two-second penalty for a gate touch.
And unfortunately, two more touches in the final pushed her down to sixth in the final.
However, despite missing out on a podium spot, Eckhardt was happy with her performance in Krakow.
“I was really happy with my paddling in general today, I think I really stepped up the pace,” she said.
“Unfortunately, a couple of touches kept me off the podium, but generally I’m really happy with the way I’ve been paddling. I’m feeling a lot more confident and definitely feel like I’ve improved from last year.
“Next year will be really exciting, especially on one of my favourite courses in Tacen.”
The 22-year-old has learned a lot from this week and revealed she had been battling a shoulder injury during the competition.
“Every race like this is a massive learning experience, I’m definitely going to take a lot away from this week,” Eckhardt said.
“I didn’t have the best lead-in, with actually hurting my shoulder about three days before the race started, so I’ve been having physio three times a day to keep that under control.”
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