DAILY UPDATES!!!

[intraftfed]

What a good day its been and we haven't even got to the Opening Ceremony yet!

The sun has been shining down on us here in Banja Luka and the teams have been out training on the Slalom and Sprint courses on the Vrbas. We were taken to the course and are very impressed with what Alex's team have produced - stands right alongside the river with great viewing of the events plus a great river base venue where many beers have and will be consumed and where many friendships will be revived and continued.

As you drive to the river you are surrounded by the green of the forests growing on the mountains all around you. The place has character and the genuine enthusiasm that all the people involved in this project exude makes one feel that anything is possible and they've probably already thought about it and organised it.

We now prepare for the Opening Ceremony which I think is going to be impressive!

[intraftfed]

That was SPECTACULAR! With live television to the nation and about 30,000 people it is definitely the biggest and most watched Opening Ceremony the IRF World Champs has ever had.

The City of Banjaluka has opened its arms to the rafters of the world and looking at the smiles and general happyness of everyone they are all feeling very welcome and very well looked after!

The Ceremony opened with the teams doing a procession down the main road, being led by Banja Luka's Olympic Gold medalists, and weaved its way through a variety of staged activities along the way promoting the sports of Banja Luka. They ended the procession at a stage where they could be seen by the huge audience that have poured in from all parts of the world as well as dignitaires of the region and organisations.

Welcoming speeches ensued and were rounded off by a spectacular show of fireworks. A world reknown group of singers from Banja Luka then went on to entertain the crowds for a few hours more. Everyone is remarkable impressed by the whole show.

Day Two has begun now with the teams setting off for a day of practise at the Sprint site. The chosen rapid for the Sprint on the Vrbas River is ideal as it provides a fairly equal start for the teams in the H2H and so will certainly provide for great excitement and be visually spectacular.

[intraftfed]

Day Two saw the teams having a good, long day of practise on the Sprint, working out lines and strategies. The rapid is wide enough to allow two teams to enter it at the top but it does narrow in the middle where the white water section is and has strong surges and currents that can easily send a raft of course. After that it widens again and there is a flat section to the end which means there is still space for overtaking. So we will definitely be seeing the lead swopping in some of the H2H races.

In the evening the IRF held its Congress where the new BOD was elected and where a few proposals where covered. The next section of the Congress will be on the 22nd where all Sport & Competition issues will be discussed.

Tomorrow the races start!

[intraftfed]

Great Britain had a GREAT day on the water today walking away with two Gold medals!

The day began again with beautiful blue skies. The first event was the Time Trial and here the biggest surprise was Chile Men who came in at an unexpected 2nd place with Brasil in front of them and Japan following. The Womens Time Trial saw some familiar faces with Holland claiming first followed by Czech and Canada. All the teams took the right hand line except for the Czech men, missing the rooster tail at the start and dodging the big hit in the hole just after.

However the H2H meant one didn't always get ones ideal line and the surging eddy on the right below the rapid caught and held a few leading teams allowing their competitors a second chance to get in front. The US women lost their lead this way and the US men won their lead this way! The result of the race was never a foregone conclusion with some teams going neck and neck and neck right to the end. It was definitely the best Sprint we've seen since the Futaleufu in 2000.

The Slovakian women and the USA men both lost to their British counterparts resulting in what I think is the first time one country has walked away with the two gold medals in one discipline. Well done GB!

Tomorrow everyone has to be AT the busses at 5am! So we can do the looooong drive over to the Tara river and the teams can have a practise run before the race the next day. Not a word of complaint about the long drive - rafters don't mind if they know they're off to see and paddle a great and beautiful river!

Full results should be up on the following website shortly - http://www.2009wrc.com/portal/

[stan]

Congratulation to the teams mens and women Great Britain!
But Sue, in the years 2005 and 2007 has walked away with the two gold medals in downriver the Czech mens and Czech women teams! And in the year 2003 the same in the slalom!:D

Thanks a lot for your minutes of the day !
I am siting on the chair and watching web TV every evening. Superb !

[intraftfed]

Thanks Stan, I should have known the Czech's would have done that before

[intraftfed]

Results Men - Downriver:
http://www.2009wrc.com/portal/slike/downmen[1].pdf

Results Women Downriver:
http://www.2009wrc.com/portal/slike/downwomen[1].pdf

The journey to Tara River, in typical fashion started an hour later than the planned 5am start and somehow the journey took forever. Traffic jams in Sarajevo certainly didn't help. The busses stopped in Foca for a procession and little ceremony in the town, which is the closest one to the Tara River. It was about 4pm by the time we arrived at the River Camp and immediately everyone got ready to get onto the river.

This was the opportunity for teams to train and for non-team members to get onto the river. This too was not so simple as we had to cross over the BiH border. About and hour of driving in Jeeps and Kombis we were at the start - not easy when you have 53 teams and all sorts of extras!

But already the stupor from the bus journey had fallen away as we entered the canyon (they claim it is the 2nd biggest after Grand Canyon). With its mountainous sides dropping away to the ribbon of pale blue below it was certainly spectacular and the anticipation of white water quickly took over.

The river is a beautiful Class 3. Fast flowing with nearly continuous rapids, many being wave trains, it is not technical but is a great and pleasant river to paddle. When paddling the river the Futaleufu immediately comes to mind with similar water colour, high surrounding mountains and greenery. Its the sort of river you'd like to linger over and spend a few days on. Unfortunately we were racing the dark and so could not dawdle. What also amazed me was the number of rafts on the river - we over took many rafts and yet there were always more! 53 teams is a LOT of teams and the logistics are enormous!

That night was spent on the banks of the Tara in River Camps which were wooden bungalows. Teams bunked down early.

The Downriver day dawned.

Teams were set off in groups of 5. The finish was at the bridge which forms the border between BiH and Montenegro, so the bridge was filled with spectators. The first heat came blistering in with a very close finish between Brasil and Russia with Japan coming in next. But further down in another heat was Hungary who placed the time that would win the day.

The first women's heat was also hotly contested but once again, Japan came in from another heat to claim the top prize with Netherlands next followed by the Czechs.

Although the journey to and from the Tara was long, everyone was very happy to have made the journe to paddle on the Tara and see its famous beauty.

Tomorrow is a rest day but not a rest night! The Slalom training is tomorrow evening from 5pm until 11pm! This is in preparation for the highly anticipated night slalom under spotlights the next night. The teams who have already had the privilege of doing this say it is a most spectacular sight.

[intraftfed]

At last - more detailed results can be found here:

http://www.2009wrc.com/portal/

Today was a free day for teams to enjoy Banja Luka and its surroundings. At 5pm they could start training on the slalom course. The lights came on as it got dark and the river was bathed in day light making a spectacular scene.

Tomorrow will be another relaxing day, however the evening will be long and energetic as the slalom starts at 5pm, will end after 10 and then the Prizegiving and Closing Ceremony will be held and concluded with a great big party! This will be a late night!

[intraftfed]

What a day!

The IRF World Champions title was well defended by Brasil Men! And the women's title was clinched by a win in Slalom for the Canadian Women.

More details shortly.

[intraftfed]

The final discipline of the event, Slalom, began at 5.30 in the afternoon. Streams of people from Banja Luka and the surrounding areas began to pour in. Adding to this was the 21 women's teams, 32 men's teams representing 35 countries plus reserves, managers and supporters. And on top of that were the huge number of volunteers helping to make things happen, 30 or so Judges, the VIPs and the ever important organising team. By the end of the evening it was estimated there were over 20,000 people present! The second run was also televised live to BiH.

The water level was not as high as expected and it was thought the course would be easy, however the first runs quickly dispelled that thought as the teams really struggled to make numerous gates and few made clear runs. After the first run Japan was leading in the women's followed by Slovakia and then Great Britain, the latter being the only ones to have a clear run. By now the high standard of the Japanese women was being appreciated. In the men's section Germany took the lead followed by Slovakia and then Japan. Chile placed a 6th, once again showing they are definitely a team to consider for top honours in the future.

By the time of the second run the lights were on and a great party atmosphere prevailed.

It quickly became evident that for nearly every team the second runs were markedly faster than their first. So it was going to boil down to who could have the clearest second run. And this is where the British and Russian Women came unstuck, having a good time but getting a 50 at one gate. The Netherlands managed to improve their time but the Canadian's were on top form and with only 10 s penalties plus a fast time they clinched first place. Japan women had two very consist runs and no penalties in their second run giving them second place with the Czech's taking third.

The Czech and Great Britain men had awful first runs both getting 50 at one gate but they came back strongly to produce a flawless and fast second run. However Japan had a clear and fast run securing them the win for Slalom with Germany taking second and Czech men third.

As the final run crossed the finish line the Judges were working madly to solve a few protests and get the final results out as fast as possible as it was now 11pm and everyone was keen to find out who the 2009 World Champions were. The mass of spectators moved off and teams began moving over to the location for the Prizegiving and Closing Ceremony. At 1am the ceremonies started.

Canada's consistent high placing (3rd TT, 3rd H2H, 5th DR, 1st Slalom) bagged them the title of IRF Women's Champions for 2009. Second was Japan, an incredible achievement considering it is their first ever World Champs. But maybe not so surprising considering the high standard and consistency of their men's team. Third were defending Champions, Czech.

Brasil men defended their title brilliantly (1st TT, 5th H2H, 1st DR, 6th Slalom), with Japan taking second place and a hugely elated British men coming in at third. The Closing Ceremony finished off with the IRF R6 Flag being handed over to Rafa Gallo of Costa Rica, which is the next destination for the IRF R6 WRC, in 2011.

Despite it now being after 2 in the morning teams began to party!

[intraftfed]

Results on IRF Website - www.intraftfed.com