Flood collects ticket to Rio

NSWIS paddler Naomi Flood has been officially named to her second Olympic team following a tough selection process that saw her pitted against teammate and fellow NSWIS athlete Jo Bridgen-Jones. 

The final selection process for the canoe sprint team has taken more than two months to be finalised, with all but the women’s K1 quota filled after the mid-March National Championship and Oceania Championship selection races. 

However Flood and Bridgen-Jones could not be separated, drawing out the process. 

With one spot available for nomination to the Australian Olympic team in the women’s K1, Flood and Bridgen-Jones were forced into a race off at last month’s world cup round in Duisburg, Germany, albeit in different events. With the higher placed athlete receiving the nomination, it was recently turned 30-year-old Flood who got the nod after producing a career best K1 500m result of ninth. 

A former world champion surf lifesaver, Flood spoke to the Australian Olympic Team of her relief to secure the place on the team for Rio. 

“It’s been very physically and mentally demanding and a really awkward situation for Jo and myself to find ourselves in,” Flood said. 

“I’m just really relieved it’s all over now and stoked to be on the plane with my oversized boarding pass.”

While the situation involving both NSWIS athletes racing for a K1 nomination wasn’t easy, neither had planned for that outcome. Flood and Bridgen-Jones finished seventh in the K2 at the 2014 World Championships, then joined an unsuccessful K4 bid at the 2015 world titles. After pairing back up for this year’s trials, the experienced duo were beaten by plucky young Queenslanders Alyssa Bull and Alyce Burnett, forcing the NSWIS athletes into a head to head battle. 

With Rio confirmed, Flood continued that she was aiming to use her experience from London to prepare for the 2016 Games. 

“Knowing what London was like and the experience that I had there, it was such a great learning experience and something that went too quickly,” Flood who was 12th in the K2 with Lyndsie Fogarty said to the Australia Olympic Team. 

“I just wanted to get back there and do it all again and hopefully do it better. To race K1 is mind blowing.”

The Canoe Sprint section now has a full compliment of 13 paddlers. 

Originally posted as: Flood officially selected for second Olympic Team