Kayaking: challenging the Eiger North wall of white-water sports

adidas Sickline Extreme Kayak World Championship 2012

October  2012, Oetztal valley (Austria)

With a fabulous time of 55.84 seconds Kiwi Sam Sutton not only secured his second World Championship title in 2011, but also undercut the course record he had set in 2010 by three seconds. This year, the 24-year old kayaking pro from Rotorua New Zealand wants to do a hat-trick. But that's a tough nut to crack in a highly competitive race. Last year, places 2 (58.0) to 8 (58.96) all clocked within one second. Sutton's teammate Michele Ramazza (ITA), who won silver in 2010, is in excellent shape, and the Olympians Mike Dawson (NZL), Vavrinec Hradilek (CZE) - silver in London - and Hannes Aigner (GER) - bronze in London - also hope to benefit from their current slalom fitness at the adidas Sickline World Championship.