Australia's underdog canoe double are making no apologies for their frenetic attack on London's whitewater course after ending their Olympic dream with a controversial protest.
Robin Jeffery and Kynan Maley finished dead last in their men's C2 semi-final on Thursday, with a time of 162.14 seconds - almost a full minute slower than the fastest qualifier.
The duo had been looking good for a top-six finish to put them into the final, but were controversially pinged after the race for missing an early gate.
At the time, the two downwater judges closest to the action had ruled they'd only clipped it, and given the Australians just a 2s penalty.
Faced with a 50s infringement, Australia's team lodged a protest immediately afterwards, but after 20 minutes, the appeal was dismissed.
The final penalty burden pushed them into 10th - and last - place.
But the pair, ranked 23 in the world, refused to let the drama take away from their maiden Olympic campaign.
"I thought I was definitely in, but that's a part of our sport," Jeffery said.
"It's a sport of angles and millimetres.
"But either way, we're really stoked with the way we attacked the race."
Maley, 30, who has spent more than a decade trying to make the Australian team for his debut in London, said it had been an unforgettable experience.
"We have to take those risks and I don't regret what we tried to do," he said.
"It's been amazing."
Maley will be contemplating his future and the possibility of Rio 2016 after the Games, but for 24-year-old Jeffery, there was no need for deep reflection.
"I'm greedy," he said, beaming.
"When we crossed the line, I said 'I want to go again."
HOME
RSS