Kolganov and Lufan to race for gold at kayaking worlds

The duo qualified for the 200m final after finishing second in a semifinal on Saturday.

By ALLON SINAI
kolganov 88 (photo credit: )
kolganov 88
(photo credit: )
Kayaking duo Michael Kolganov and Barak Lufan will take part in two world championship finals on Sunday. The Israelis reached the K2 200- and 500-meter finals at the Flatwater Racing World Championships in Szeged, Hungary, after successful semifinal heats over the weekend. On Friday, Kolganov and Lufan finished first in their 500m semifinal heat in a time of 1 minute 34 seconds. The duo qualified for the 200m final after finishing second, with a time of 34.857 seconds, in a semifinal on Saturday. "Eight years ago to the day, Kolganov won the 500m world championships gold medal at this exact spot," Israel's delegation leader Aviram Mizrahi said on Saturday. "That medal is Israel's one and only world championship medal. I hope Kolganov and Lufan can repeat that achievement and win a medal tomorrow." In the women's K2 200m event, Larissa Peisakhovitch and Marina Levkovic qualified for the B final after finishing fifth in their semifinal heat on Saturday. Roei Yellin will also take part in a B final after coming in third in his K1 1000m semifinal. Adi Gafni will compete in the women's K1 1000m B final after finishing sixth in her semifinal heat.