‘I’m over the moon’: Australian star McGrath earns another title in the kayak to send strong message to Paris rivals

Triple Paralympic gold medallist Curtis McGrath has delivered a strong message to his rivals ahead of the Olympic Games.

With just over 100 days to go for the Paris showpiece, McGrath claimed his 12th global title when he won the men’s KL2 200 at the Paracanoe World Championships.

McGrath and teammate Susan Seipel took out gold and bronze respectively to put the Aussies on the medal tally early in Hungary.

McGrath staged a strong come-from-behind win to finish ahead of David Phillipson of Great Britain and Brazil’s Fernando Rufino de Paulo.

“It’s nice to get another world championship, my 12th … I’m just over the moon,” he said.

“There are some good conditions, the tail wind is gone and we’ve got a bit of a headwind now.

“I didn’t have the greatest start, I wasn’t that connected, but I got there and went with the crowd and sort of saved myself for the last 100m … then I had a second kick and came through the field and managed to finish number one.

“It’s nice to have this hit out before the Games. I think we find where our weaknesses are, find where our strengths are … finding where those weaknesses are so we can get into the next block of training and really work towards the Paris Games in a few months’ time.”

Dual Paralympic medallist Seipel was thrilled to take bronze in the VL2 200m behind Great Britain’s Emma Wiggs and Canada’s Brianna Hennessy.

It is a positive sign for Seipel, who is aiming to add to her Paralympic silver and bronze medals in Paris.

For the Australian Olympic kayak team there is slightly more pressure with fewer than 80 days to go until Paris.

The Szeged meet will also be their final international World Cup for the Aussies before the Games.

The team got off to a strong start in the opening heats of the day.

Defending Olympic champions Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen won their heat to put them through to the A Final of the men’s K2 500.

Off to her third Olympics, Alyce Woods qualified straight through to the A Final after winning her K1 1,000-metre heat.

In the K4 500 women, the Aussie team of Ally Clarke, Aly Bull, Yale Steinepreis and Elle Beere also advanced to the A Final.

The Australian men’s team of Riley Fitzsimmons, Pierre van der Westhuyzen, Jackson Collins and Noah Havard, won their heat in the men’s K4 500 to book their spot in the A Final.

Defending ParaCanoe world champion Dylan Littlehales won the KL3 men 200m heat to put him through to the semifinal with fellow Aussie Mark Daniels.

AAP