Evy Leibfarth arrived in Oklahoma City with one big goal in mind.
This weekend's U.S. Olympic Trials at RiverSport OKC is a make-or-break opportunity for some athletes, but the 20-year-old North Carolina native is determined to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics. I'm sure it is.
The mystery is the number of events she will participate in.
“Knowing that she's already earned that spot takes a little bit of pressure off,” said her coach and father, Lee Leibfurth. “She has already booked a ticket to Paris, but we still have to play the A match.''
Evi Leibfurth dominated the canoe slalom at the Olympic Team Trials in Montgomery, Alabama two weekends ago. It is impossible for any athlete from Oklahoma City to catch up with her score, so she secured a spot in the Olympics.
This weekend, Leibfirth will compete in the kayak slalom and kayak cross, with hopes of becoming the first American woman to represent her country in all three paddling events. Heading into Saturday, she holds the lead in the kayak slalom with a time of 94.67 seconds, just 0.62 seconds behind Lia Thrivare.
Leibfalt has qualified for canoe slalom, but she continued to participate in Friday's event while competitors assessed her progress against her.
“A lot of canoe slalom is learning how to race and experience,” Leibfurth said. “When I was younger, people said that to me, and I was like, 'Oh, no, it's not that important.' And I played the sport for (about) six years at senior level. Now that I've been involved in it, I'm thinking, “Oh, no, that's natural.''
Leibfalt gained important experience at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she competed at the age of 17.
“I wasn't able to do my best because of a lot of pressure I put on myself and around the event,” Leibfurth said. “So I'm really excited to be going to Paris and being able to have a little more open mind and trust my training a little more.”
more:How 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Venue River Sports OKC Became a 'Global Destination'
Oklahoma winds add challenge to canoe and kayak events
Striped slalom gates swayed over the rapids and swayed in the fierce morning breeze.
It was a fitting greeting for Oklahoma's Olympic hopefuls.
Liam Malakoff, a volunteer with the American Canoe Association, said man-made trails like River Sports have become popular because they have a controlled element that doesn't exist in natural locations.
But no one could control the winds in Oklahoma.
Wind gusts of up to 35 mph swept across the course, creating unpredictable conditions for paddlers. Athletes would be penalized if they touched the slalom gate, so extreme care had to be taken when the gate swung toward the athletes.
This required quick maneuvering.
“We call these small gymnastic movements, where you move your body quickly to one side,” Leibfurth said. “The best thing to do is to center yourself well first. It's okay if your opponent moves a little.”
Even these conditions didn't stop Zachary “Bug” Locken from zooming through the channels. Locken, from Durango, Colorado, finished Friday's competition with a time of 87.58 seconds, leading the men in canoe slalom.
The wind also prevented spectators from enjoying a spring day at River Sports. Fans dotted the lawn with folding chairs, and elementary school classes from Oklahoma City Public Schools gathered in the Olympic Experience Interactive Fan Zone.
How do the U.S. Team Trials work?
The United States earned spots in the women's canoe slalom, women's kayak slalom, and men's canoe slalom.
This means Team USA is eligible to compete in these events in Paris, but the team is not yet at capacity.
For each player, Montgomery's 2 of 4 points count in addition to Oklahoma City's 2 of 4 points. Together, these factors determine who gets hired.
On Friday in Oklahoma City, each athlete was allowed two attempts in each event, with only the better time counted. Saturday will follow the same format and include trials for kayak cross, a new sport in which participants plunge their kayaks into the water from a ramp 10 feet above rapids.
The event is highly competitive. The U.S. only had one spot in women's canoe slalom, and Leibfert filled that spot. The United States also has one representative in the women's kayak slalom and one in the men's canoe slalom, but these have not yet been determined.
In canoe/kayak slalom, the athlete with the fastest time wins, but things are not that simple. Penalties increase an athlete's time, so hitting a gate or even grazing a gate can have serious consequences.
The downstream gate is green and white, and the upstream gate is red and white. Paddlers must perform difficult maneuvers to turn around and properly pass through the upstream gate.
