Casey Eichfeld has competed in several Olympics, but this time he has extra motivation.
Being a father reduces the stress of close races. With tears in his eyes, Eichfeld said he had his 2-year-old daughter Emilia in mind as he prepared for Saturday's final run at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Oklahoma City.
“About 30 seconds before the race, I was thinking about her little hug,” Eichfeld said. “And I was so excited to finish the race because I thought, 'No matter which direction it goes, she's the most important thing to me.' And now I'm going to get the crowning glory. I was able to.”
He called his wife Sarah to tell her and their daughter the good news.
Eichfeld, 34, qualified for his fourth Olympics in the men's canoe slalom, earning him a ticket to Paris. He also represented the United States in Beijing in 2008, London in 2012, and Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Eichfeld, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, was in a close battle for a spot despite his experience. Only one spot was allotted to the United States in the men's canoe slalom, and Eichfeld traded momentum with Zachary Locken, known as “Bug,” at RiverSport OKC throughout the weekend.
Locken performed well, recording a time of 87.58 seconds in his final run on Friday afternoon. For each candidate, his two times from Montgomery, Alabama and his two times from Oklahoma City are combined to determine the sole qualifier.
Eichfeld needed a boost in the second half. He ran through the slalom gate with power and precision, pumping his fist after completing his final run without penalty points. A few penalties proved costly for Locken in the final run.
“Honestly, after the first run (Saturday) I thought it was going to be Zach,” Eichfeld said. “And I found the energy to run a great second run, which was enough to get me a ticket.”
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Evi Liebfurth has the advantage of versatility
Evie Leibfirth stood atop the podium as lights that read “USA” flashed behind her.
Leibfert had already qualified for the Olympics in the women's canoe slalom competition in Montgomery, Alabama.
In Oklahoma City, she continued to stand out, qualifying in the women's kayak slalom. Because of her success in these events, Leibfert also secured her Olympic kayak cross qualification, allowing her to represent the United States in three events.
Leibfert finished Saturday with a kayak slalom time of 98.38 seconds.
“I love getting out there and taking all the different classes because they’re all so different,” Leibfurth said. “There is something that resonates with each emotion, so knowing that you can experience all three of her emotions in Paris is very special.”
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River Sports, American Canoe Association responds quickly to changing weather conditions
The crowd at River Sports on Saturday exceeded Mike Knopp's expectations.
“I was really happy because I was worried about the weather and I told myself there wouldn't be a lot of people here,” said Knopp, founder and executive director of River Sports.
Instead, a large crowd stayed to hear Team USA's announcement, which took place earlier than originally scheduled. Saturday's schedule was moved up due to the weather, and the evening concert and fireworks were canceled. Kayak Cross was originally scheduled for 4:30 p.m., but was moved to 2:15 p.m. Despite continued delays due to weather, the athletes were able to complete all events.
These changes have left little time between canoe/slalom and kayak cross events, which require vastly different courses. Representatives from the American Canoe Association and River Sports had to work quickly to tear down the gates on one course and install the next.
“It was a little chaotic because we were targeting windows that were open between storms,” Knopp said. “But we have a great team. People came together to make it happen. We were really lucky to be able to do all of the qualifying events that day despite all the challenges.
“I think the attitude of the people was really great. Even with the wind and the rain and everything, people just stayed there and had smiles on their faces and just had fun.”
