Ottawa's John Hastings advanced to his first career final on the whitewater slalom paddling World Cup circuit on Sunday and placed seventh in the men's K-1 (kayak singles) event in Prague.
Daniele Molmenti of Italy won the gold medal with 92.62 points, Lubos Hilgert of the Czech Republic was second with 94.02 and Michael Kurt of Switzerland third at 94.68. All three negotiated their 25-gate runs cleanly in the final.
Hastings opened the day finishing first in the morning semifinal which set him up as the last paddler in the final. He finished with 97.59 and was assessed a two second penalty which dropped him from fourth to seventh.
"Going last in the final was quite the experience," said Hastings. "I had a strong run, but was given the penalty for touching one of the gates. The touch was very minute and we protested it but because the video was inconclusive, the judges ruling stayed."
His semifinal performance was also a career highlight for Hastings. "I was as shocked as everybody when I saw my name at the top of the board," he said. "But there was no pressure on me. This was my first final. My expectations were just to go out there and paddle as well as I could."
Five-time Olympian David Ford of Edmonton reached the semifinal and placed 23rd.
