Woodstock Canoeist Earns Olympic Slot

Eric Hurd of Woodstock and Jeff Larimer of Marietta won the gold medal and earned a 2012 Olympic boat quota slot for Team USA in the men’s C-2 final Saturday at the 2012 Slalom Pan American Championships in Foz do Iguassu, Brazil.

Hurd said he feels great about their accomplishments.

"We had a really good training time down here prior to the race and we are just really happy to have pulled through with our plan and get it done," Hurd said in a release.

The duo finished in 107.13, 2.16 seconds ahead of the second-place finishers from Brazil.

Hurd, 25, and Larimer, 30,  after two qualifying heats, trailing the Canadian duo of James and Adam Cutts. Hurd and Larimer moved ahead of the Canadians with a semifinal time of 105.76, including two penalty seconds. 

Hurd and Larimer will have to compete to be named the U.S. athletes to fill the men’s C-2 boat at London 2012. The 2012 U.S. Olympic Team will be determined by performances at the 2012 Slalom National Team Trials in Charlotte, NC, April 12 to 14, and the first stop on the 2012 World Cup circuit.

"The Olympic berth means a lot to us and the U.S. team," Hurd said in the release. "[We're] hoping that we can bring a full and strong team to the London Games."

In 2011, Hurd and Larimer finished 18th at the 2011 World Cup No. 3 and 32nd at the 2011 World Championships.

Hurd currently lives in Gastonia, NC, and is a member of the Nantahala Racing Club.