The race is on at the Asian Rafting Championship in Himachal Pradesh, Northern India.
DOWNRIVER started this morning with the 8 countries paddling for 4 km, where the rapids alternate with stretches of slow and constant flow. Resistance indeed was required as much as a good reading of the line, in this first discipline.
In the men category the hosts took home the whole podium with India Along team on the first step: 13:56.64 and the first 80 points of the competition. With a gap of only 2 seconds India Belgaun follows with 13:58.59. Downriver bronze to India Raivola with 14:06.67.
India Along men team
Iran, who got the best women time in RX qualification yesterday, confirmed their speed stopping the chronometer at 15:30.17, more than 20 seconds ahead of India 1 (15:52.69) who got the silver. Third step of the podium for India 3 with 16:22.76.
Iran women team
The host teams on the Mix podium are:
India 17 with 16:25.94, followed by India 18 with 16:40.57 and India 16 17:21.23.
In the afternoon the water level decreased creating challenging gates on the Pandoa rapid.
The two manches of SLALOM, as per manual, saw the majority of the teams taking home a clean and sare first run, and pushing everything in the second.
With the best overall time of 138.72, registered on the second run, India Raivola got the men gold medal, with no penalties. 1.49 seconds of difference gave the silver to India Belgaun, thanks to the first clean run.
Nepal, paddling for the first time the light and fast Aquadesign rafts, got the bronze medal with 144.44 with a first no touch run. Bearing in mind the difference that paddling in a new boat makes, this seems a challenging turning point for their agonism movement.
India 4 men team
The lead of women category, despite 2 seconds penalties, stays in Iran hands who got 201.34.
Second place for India 3 with 210.63 and third place for India 1 with 224.20.
The podium of the mix category confirmed the same medals of the downriver, with all the rafters scoring the best time in the second run.
Gold to India 17 with 164.08 with no touches, silver to India 18 with 170.66 and bronze to India 16 with 180.74.
India 17 mix team
The games are not over yet: the knock out tomorrow will award the last RX precious point that will confirm or overturn the ranking. The matches are decided depending on the RX qualification, that awards no points, but... the faster will choose the water! And for now the fastest have been Nepal (men), Iran (women) and India 18 (mix). See you tomorrow, eyes on the flow!
