The kayak course in downtown Wausau is proving to be quite the draw.
Starting tomorrow, the city is hosting hundreds of racers from around the world. It’s all part of the Junior World Kayak and Canoe Championships.
Wausau is home to one of the best whitewater kayak and canoe courses in the country. That’s why some U.S. Olympians are making this week's world championships in the downtown their last stop before heading to London.
Caroline Queen and Casey Eichfeld will compete in the 2012 Olympic Games in London in just a few weeks. Both will represent the U.S. in the men’s and women’s canoe and kayak events.
But before heading to London, they are in Wausau for the Under 23 World Championships.
They say competing on Wausau’s difficult whitewater course is something they think will be crucial to their Olympic success.
Eichfeld says Wausau’s course offers a great amount of experience. “It’s great to get as much experience as possible, and to be able to do such a high ranking race so close to the Olympics is fantastic for us. We get to race with some athletes around our ages who are also fellow Olympians. They have taken sometime to come compete with us in the United States."
The duo is two of only what will be a few canoe and kayakers who be will be representing the red white and blue team. They say getting chosen for the American team is a great honor.
The Junior World Championships brings in some of the best canoe and kayakers from around the world. The events are set to kick off starting tomorrow morning, and will last through Sunday.
There will be a ceremony honoring each of the 27 countries involved in the competition. That will begin at 6:30 tonight in the downtown 400 Block in Wausau.
