Lienz is one of my favorite place in Austria. It is situated in a valley surrounded by glorious mountains. Me and Peter we visited it almost every year since 2005. It is well known amongst paddlers for its whitewater rivers but it hosted some international freestyle events like European Championships as well. The playspot on Drau river was rebuilt this winter because high water moved some stones and destroyed it. Now it is a very strong hole with two shoulders. We did one training on Friday. I was very surprised by its power and it was a big challenge for me. But I can say the guys had problems as well. All categories of freestyle started Saturday morning. In the afternoon the finals took place. I was quite happy with my rides and scored each move I started. I took gold and my paddle mate Sasa from Slovakia took silver. Peter paddled very good and won as well.
After that we hurried to change from freestyle boats to creek boats. We took part in the sprint event too. It was an easy section, about 4-5 minutes long. For my surprise I was the fastest woman on course. Peter showed his good condition and took second place right after our friend Peter "snorchel" Scherfel from Slovakia.
At the evening Thomas Zimermann, the organizer of the event, held prize-giving ceremony at their boat house. We got some nice prizes as money - well that made us more happy as it is not very common - and some other cool stuff. Afterwards we continued with grilling and chatting with friends.
It was a really nice and friendly event where everyone could find something compete in.
