Eighty-five of the nation’s best paddlers will compete for a spot on the flatwater sprint canoe and kayak team that will represent the U. S. at the XXVIII Olympiad in Athens, Greece.

You can watch fast and furious sprint racing, as well as exhibition events, throughout the weekend. Only hundredths of a second separate competitors at the finish line – and a missed stroke or an unexpected cross wind can mean the difference between going to the Olympics or not.

Favored to win spots on the team in Oakland are Rami Zur in the K-1 (singleperson kayak) 500 meter men’s race and Ruth Nortje in the K-1 500 meter women’s event. Both have already qualified their boats in the World Championships held last year. Now they are working to qualify themselves.

Apart from the winners of those two events, all the other athletes are competing for the right to compete in the Continental Olympic Qualifier for the Americas, to be held in Curitiba, Brazil from April 28 ~ 30, where the remainder of the team will be determined.

This is Oakland’s second U.S. Olympic trials, having hosted the boxing competition in 1996 at the Henry J. Kaiser Arena. The USA Canoe & Kayak (USACK) selected Oakland as the site for the Olympic trials because of its rich sports history, huge fan base, and successful hosting of the 2003 USACK Sprint National Championships at Lake Merritt last August. America’s largest urban saltwater lake, 155-acre Lake Merritt is an ideal venue for sprint races and regattas.

USACK was also impressed with Oakland’s role in the 2012 Olympic Bid, and its large and sports-minded business community. The City will herald the Olympic trials with welcome banners and billboards, an onsite hospitality booth, and sponsorship and marketing support.

For event information and a map of the race course at the Lake, go to www.paddletoathens.org.

To download a copy of the City of Oakland Bridges Newsletter for April/May 2004, please click here.