Ireland has effectively just one shot left at Olympic qualification from the canoe sprint World Championships in Szeged, Hungary, with Jenny Egan remaining in the hunt in the K1 500 metres. She qualified for the semi-final (Saturday, 2.12 Irish time) by placing fourth in her heat. She must place in the top three to make the A Final. The five top nations qualify.

Egan’s chances in the K1 200m evaporated when she finished eighth in the semi-final, slipping into the C Final. Egan will also compete in the K1 5,000 metres, a non-Olympic class.

Barry Watkins also has the K1 5,000 metres to look forward to. In his two Olympic events he qualified for B Finals. He took sixth in the B Final of the men’s K1 500 metres, placing him 15th overall and, in the last race of the day, also took sixth in the K1 1,000m semi, so setting up a second B Final.