Tim Anderson - Olympic qualification

In late January 2024, Victorian K1 slalom kayaker Tim Anderson (29) knew the time he needed to qualify for the Paris Olympics. He had one chance to beat his compatriots Lucien Delfour and Benjamin Pope to qualify for his first Olympic team. The race result was not relevant - it all came down to beating the time set by each of his colleagues.

Both Lucien and Benjamin had experienced difficulties. For Tim, racing as the final Australian, he needed a clean race with no missed gates or penalties. The pressure for the race of his life was enormous.

He finished clean. His time of 97.24 seconds was strong enough for equal 4th place in the event, but more importantly for Tim it was sufficient for him to gain Olympic Qualification.

A strong paddling contingent, including his older brother Alastair who introduced him to the sport 17 years earlier, were there to celebrate the achievement.

Images from this assignment appeared in ABC News,  the  Canberra Times and News Limited publications covering Australia's Paris Olympics build up.