Wed. Nov 6th, 2024
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Triple Paralympic gold medallist Curtis McGrath has delivered a strong message to his rivals ahead of the Olympic Games.

With just over 100 days to go for the Paris showpiece, McGrath claimed his 12th global title when he won the men’s KL2 200 at the Paracanoe World Championships.

McGrath and teammate Susan Seipel took out gold and bronze respectively to put the Aussies on the medal tally early in Hungary.

McGrath staged a strong come-from-behind win to finish ahead of David Phillipson of Great Britain and Brazil’s Fernando Rufino de Paulo.

“It’s nice to get another world championship, my 12th … I’m just over the moon,” he said.

“There are some good conditions, the tail wind is gone and we’ve got a bit of a headwind now.

“I didn’t have the greatest start, I wasn’t that connected, but I got there and went with the crowd and sort of saved myself for the last 100m … then I had a second kick and came through the field and managed to finish number one.

“It’s nice to have this hit out before the Games. I think we find where our weaknesses are, find where our strengths are … finding where those weaknesses are so we can get into the next block of training and really work towards the Paris Games in a few months’ time.”

Dual Paralympic medallist Seipel was thrilled to take bronze in the VL2 200m behind Great Britain’s Emma Wiggs and Canada’s Brianna Hennessy.

It is a positive sign for Seipel, who is aiming to add to her Paralympic silver and bronze medals in Paris.

For the Australian Olympic kayak team there is slightly more pressure with fewer than 80 days to go until Paris.

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