Liam Jegou has become the first Irish paddler to win gold in the canoe slalom at the World Cup after a brilliant performance in Pau on Sunday.
Jegou is based in the French city and trains regularly on the course, and he used all of this experience to take the men's C1 class thanks to a sizzling penalty-free run of 100.35 seconds.
That was enough to edge out Vaclav Chaloupka of the Czech Republic and Switzerland's Thomas Koechlin.
GOLD FOR IRELAND!!! 🥇🇮🇪 Liam Jegou wins the World Cup in Pau in a time of 100.35 seconds 🏁 A brilliant run in the final to bring home Irelands first ever Gold Medal in the C1 category 🥇🚣 Such a fantastic performance from this young athlete 💪@sportireland @TeamIreland pic.twitter.com/wyWca3RSSo
— Canoeing Ireland (@CanoeingIreland) November 8, 2020
"I'm really over the moon," Jegou told the International Canoe Federation's official website.
"I've been pushing myself really hard now for several years, and all summer, preparing for events like this. So I’m absolutely thrilled to put down a big run like this in the seniors, it means a lot.
"I’m trying not to think about Tokyo, I’m trying to just get better as an athlete and a paddler, and whatever happens, happens."
The Clare man has already qualified for the next summer's Olympics in Tokyo.
Hannah Craig finished 13th in the women's K1 race. Craig represented Ireland in the 2012 Olympic Games and still harbours hopes of making it to Japan.
