Joe Clarke: Olympic kayak single champion set to miss Tokyo 2020
- Published
Joe Clarke won at Lee Valley in June and was expected to defend his 2016 Olympic title
Olympic kayak single champion Joe Clarke looks set to miss out on qualification for Tokyo 2020.
The Briton won the first two selection races but finished fifth in the men's kayak single at the Canoe Slalom World Championships on Sunday.
Bradley Forbes-Cryans is set to be nominated for a Team GB Olympic spot after coming fourth.
"We have a first past the post policy," British Canoeing's Performance Director Paul Ratcliffe said in La Seu.
"It was incredibly tough, tight racing this week. We know that we have such a strong team and that it is always going to be difficult to separate them."
Clarke had a perfect record after the first two selection races this season, but two mistakes during his run in Spain saw Forbes-Cryans overtake him in the individual rankings as he finished fourth, less than a point ahead of his team-mate.
The World Championships was the final opportunity for paddlers to secure their place on Team GB with all four boats securing the quota.
Three-time Olympian David Florence also looks set to miss out after Adam Burgess finished above him in the canoe single rankings.
In the women's canoe single Mallory Franklin finished top, while Kimberley Woods looks set to compete in Tokyo in the women's kayak single.