The 28-year-old Clare native had an incredible day on the water at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium. Having just got into the semi-finals by the skin of his teeth in 16th and last position, he was superb in his semi-final run, and qualified for the final as the sixth-best paddler.
Returning to the water a couple of hours later, Jegou performed even better, recording the same time as he did for the semi-final, with only the late penalty denying him a place on the podium
"I had a blast," said a delighted Jegou afterwards.
"That’s the best paddling I’ve produced in probably a year or two. I’m delighted that I put it down on the day that it counted – it was a really competitive run.
"It’s tough right now, but I had to go for it and finish up strong. It’s the slightest touch that puts me out of the medals, but it’s such a privilege and honour to be in the fight for the medals.
"It’s what we all dream of and today I was almost there.
"That final was superb. That’s what I’ve been looking for, for years, years, years. I got it at the right moment.
"I can stand here and talk about the what ifs and this and that, but the fact is two days ago I almost got eliminated in the heats and today I almost medalled at the Olympics. That’s what I’ve been working for over the past 15 years.
"In slalom, it’s really hard to get that balance between brute power and finesse. In the heats, I was just trying power too hard because that’s where you get your confidence from, training hard so you can push hard in the races."
To the deafening noise of an ecstatic home crowd, France’s Nicolas Gestin won gold in a remarkable 91.36, while Great Britain’s Adam Burgess took silver in 96.84. Slovakia’s Matej Benus claimed the bronze in 97.03.
Jegou had a total of 98.52, which included the two-second penalty, and ended up in seventh place. His finish was Ireland’s best in the event since Beijing 2008 when Eoin Rheinisch was fourth in the K1 discipline, and a massive improvement on his 15th at his Olympic debut in Tokyo three years ago.
He returns to action later this week in the Kayak Cross event.
Meanwhile, after six races and two days of competition, sailors Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove sit in second position in the current standing in the Men’s Skiff event, behind New Zealand, following another excellent day on the water off the coast of Marseille.
The crews are at the halfway point in the opening series, with a medal race on Thursday.
Only the top 10 ranked boats will qualify for that medal race.
* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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