MAKING A SPLASH
White knuckle rides do not come any better than an Olympic slalom canoeing course.
So, with the water pumps now turned on at the fl ick of a switch after the launch of the brand-new £13.3m Cardiff International White Water centre, the state-of-the-art facility can be turned into a replica of the roaring River Wye.
Already the centre has been used by Great Britain's 2012 Olympic Games stars for training, including reigning C1 world champion and 2008 Olympic silver medalist Dave Florence plus Athens Games silver medalist Campbell Walsh.
The centre has been built next to Cardiff International Pool at the Sports Village in the capital city and is the fi rst Olympic-standard course using pumped water, sourced from Cardiff Bay and the River Taff, in the country.
Men's K1 class paddler Walsh, 32, from the Bridge of Allan, Scotland, who is also a world champion, said, "I attended the opening weekend of the Cardiff centre at the end of March and spent three days training there with the rest of the GB slalom team.
"I love the fact that is is near a large city centre with easy access and not stuck out in the sticks somewhere.
"It is a real plus to have another top venue for our sport in the UK (they already have a centre at Nottingham).
"It is a fantastic training opportunity for Welsh paddlers and also good to have another venue where we can hold high level competitions. The more, the better and it can only be good for the development of the sport.
words Gary Baker pictures Steve Pope
issue11twothousand&ten
sportingwales
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