Dylan Littlehales helps secure Australia’s paracanoe quota at Tokyo Paralympics
Paddler Dylan Littlehales has helped Australia secure it’s quota of athletes exactly a year out from the start of the Paralympics.
Central Coast
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On the one-year-to-go anniversary of the Tokyo Paralympics, paddler Dylan Littlehales has helped Australia secure a full quota of four athletes to compete at the Games.
Winning four spots means Australian paracanoe double world champion Curtis McGrath, Littlehales, world championships silver and bronze medallist Susan Seipel and Amanda Reynolds will all be eligible to compete in six different events in Tokyo.
But Littlehales’ fourth at the world championships in Hungary on the weekend was a little was bittersweet.
“I’m happy with my performance today but it wasn’t the result I was aiming for but you can’t control what everyone else does,” Littlehales, who belongs to the Avoca Kayak club and trains with the NSWIS program at Narrabeen, said.
“I went out, had a great race, did a good time and just missed the podium but that’s a part of sport.
“Most importantly I got the Paralympic quota spot to end a successful year. Now it is time to enjoy some time off before getting back on the water for another 12 months of work.
“I believe myself and the rest of the paracanoe team are on track for a successful Tokyo Paralympic campaign with 12 months to go and hope we can keep that going.
“I’m just looking forward to getting back to Narrabeen and getting some off-season work done.’’
In the Kl3 200, Littlehales was denied a poidum finish by the narrowest of margins, finishing just 0.09 of a second behind Brazil’s Caio de Carvalho.