Liam Jegou misses out on world slalom final

Ireland's Liam Jegou missed out on a chance of making the final at the canoe slalom World Championships in Rio de Janeiro.

The 22-year-old C1 paddler paid a high price for a touch on the very first gate on the tough course set for the semi-finals. Jegou had a second touch, on gate 10, and the pair of two-second penalties left him little chance of making it into the top 10 who qualified for the final. He finished 24th of the 30 starters.

Jegou can retain real hopes of making it to Tokyo in 2020. The France-based competitor was an outstanding junior and took a World Junior Championship silver in 2014. He has been recovering from a serious operation which might have ended his career.

Canoe Slalom World Championships, Rio de Janeiro (Irish interest): C1 Semi-final (First 10 to A Final): 24 Ireland (L Jegou) 110.04 seconds.