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Water logged Americans finish well back in slalom finalsLatest: Monday October 09, 2000 04:05 PM
SYDNEY, Australia (CNNSI.com) -- France's Tony Estanguet captured the canoe gold medal on Monday, defeating defending champion Martin Martikan of Slovakia by almost two points. Stepanka Hilgertova of the Czech Republic used a brilliant second run to overtake France's Brigitte Guibal for the kayak gold. Guibal took silver despite a stumble late in her bid to overtake Hilgertova, and France's Anne-Lise Bardet got the bronze. American Davey Hearn didn't want to get out of his canoe, wanting to soak in his third and possibly last Olympics. Fellow American Rebecca Giddens rushed out of her kayak with the exuberance you would expect from someone about to turn 23. She wanted to watch the rest of the race to see where she would finish. Hearn wound up 12th and last among the canoes and Giddens was seventh of 15 kayaks in their slalom finals. The results were slightly disappointing for the Americans, yet each left with wide smiles.
Hearn was among the first to congratulate his counterparts as he lingered beyond the finish line long after his second run. After being frustrated by finishing ninth in Atlanta and 11th in Barcelona, he realized he should make the most out of Sydney in case he doesn't make it to Athens. "I think there's a lot of meaning to be here at 41 and the next-youngest guy in the race is 30," Hearn said. "I didn't use to believe in that stuff about what's important is to struggle well. But I think I've learned to appreciate that." Hearn said he's undecided about continuing, but realizes that in recent years he has been congratulating others more than they've been congratulating him. He hasn't won an international title since 1995 and has been out of the top three since '97. "This racing game is difficult," said Hearn, of Bethesda, Md. "It hasn't gotten any easier over 25 years." While Hearn represents the past, Giddens is the future. She had hoped to be the present, too. "On my second run, I knew I had to go all out to get silver or bronze," she said. "So I really gave it everything I had." That was ruined by an early problem with some upstream gates. "I came in a little high and instead of gaining time, I lost it," said Giddens, of Atlanta. "I knew then I wasn't going to medal, so I just wanted to have a solid run after that and I did.' Giddens was smiling tightly and her voice cracked a bit. The disappointment was still too fresh. That's probably why she said she wasn't sure whether she would be gunning for Greece in 2004. "Oh, you'll be back," said her husband and coach, Eric Giddens, who finished 20th in canoe slalom in 1996. "She has too much fun with it." The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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