Jonas Ecker, a U.S. Sprint Canoe and Kayak National Team member born and raised in Bellingham, has qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris following a top placement at the Canoe Sprint Americas Continental Olympic Qualifier on Tuesday, April 23 in Sarasota, Florida.
Ecker, 21, will head to Paris with his race partner Aaron Small of Seattle after the duo finished first in the men’s K2 500-meter sprint kayak finals. It was their last chance to qualify.
“It’s still quite surreal. It hasn’t sunk in, and I’m still in disbelief,” Ecker told Cascadia Daily News. “I am so very grateful for both this opportunity and the support from my family, friends, teammates and coaches. Aaron and I would not be where we are today without the village that had supported us, and I hope we can make them proud.”
The pair automatically advanced to the finals after capturing the top spot in the first heat with a time of 1:36.385, and they shaved more than five seconds off that time in the finals (1:31.750) to qualify — claiming the only Olympic spot available in that race at the event.
By qualifying in the MK2 event, Ecker and Small also gain automatic Olympic entries in their MK1 (solo) events. Despite having earned a spot, Ecker will still compete in the MK1 1,000-meter race at 8:15 a.m. EST on Wednesday, April 24 and Small will race the MK1 500-meter at 8:10 a.m. EST on Thursday, April 25.
Connor J. Benintendi is CDN’s sports editor; reach him at connorbenintendi@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
