Out of contention

It was a hard day at the office for the men's K4 and the result was a bitter pill to swallow. The crew came close to qualifying for the final but were pipped on the line by Canada and finished 4th .

There was obvious disappointment for Smithy, Tate, Schuey and Clint and noone can doubt the committment to succeed and the effort that this crew has demonstrated over the past five months.

It has been a long hard road and at the end we knew one team would bite the dust in the semi. We didn't think it would be us.

There is no doubt this mouthful is hard to swallow in the aftermath of a hard fought effort. After reflection, truthful soul searching and analysis it can only be a harsh learning expererience for the team, the coaches and the athletes. A defeat Australia must build on for London.

For the master it is an achievement in itself to have come this far and we salute Clint for his leadership and dedication and know that he will focus on the job at hand tomorrow.

Torsten, too, bows out of the 1000m event but can be proud of his effort today. He will be back for more tomorrow in the 500m semi tomorrow.