Published: April 23, 2008 10:58 am            

Eyes on the Prize

Kayakers paddle for golden opportunity

San Marcos — A local kayaker will be battling whitewater this week for a chance at Olympic gold.

Ben Kvanli of San Marcos and Mark Poindexter of Austin will be competing in the 2008 Olympic trials for white water slalom in Charlotte, N.C. Friday through Sunday.

The two-man kayak team completed the February qualifiers at San Marcos’ Rio Vista Falls with the best time and are training to compete for a spot on the U.S. team heading for China later this year.

“Mark and I came to the U.S. National Whitewater Center the day after Springs Fest in San Marcos, and we have worked through each component of the course over the last week,” Kvanli said.

More than 20 paddlers from the U.S., Canada, Chile, Brazil and Costa Rica will compete for the best times on the course.

The competition will determine if North, Central and South American countries will earn a chance to compete in the Olympics in August, said the event Web site. Each country will have the chance to send competitors in the three men’s and one women’s slalom canoe/kayak events.

The course in Charlotte is larger and more challenging than Rio Vista.

“Our competition looks tired, and I can see why, because this course can be punishing,” said Kvanli.

If he earns a position on the team, this will be Kvanli’s second Olympic games. Kvanli competed in men’s kayak in 1996. He and Poindexter also became national champions in men’s double canoe in 2005.

“I know that everything seems to be coming together for this to work. We are giving it our best and enjoying what God has in store,” Kvanli said.

Kvanli is a kayak instructor at the Power Olympic Outdoor Center in San Marcos.

The trials will be featured on NBC and MSNBC after the event. The air date has yet to be announced. The 2008 Olympic games begin on Aug. 8 in Beijing, China.

        

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