A case of what ifs for Jenny Egan-Simmons in Munich 

NOT TO BE: Ireland’s Jenny Egan-Simmons. ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy

Sometimes it doesn’t fall your way. 

Jenny Egan-Simmons was a good bet for an Irish medal at the Olympic regatta waterway on Saturday but weather dictated a 24-hour delay and when she woke up on Sunday morning she was far from a hundred per cent.

The end result was a sixth place in the final of the K1 5,000m for the Salmon Leap athlete in a time of 23:32.833. That was 37 seconds adrift of Emese Kohlami of Hungary who won the World Championship two weeks ago when Egan-Simmons took a bronze.

The Irishwoman couldn’t latch onto a break here and was out of the reckoning for a medal in the closing stages as the lead group of five battled it out for a slot on the podium. Egan-Simmons did however edge out Sweden’s Rebecka Georgsdotter for that sixth spot.

Saturday’s delay was far from ideal for all the competitors affected, with the women’s K1 5,000m one of three races that had to be held over because of torrential rain and thunderstorms that hit the entire region.

“I had done my pre-warm-up, I was all prepared. I was in my race gear and I was waiting there,” Egan-Simmons told RTÉ.

“My brother Peter and my team leader my Dad Tom were here and they were saying there was a delay by ten minutes and then 20 minutes because they were setting up buoys.

“The men’s C1 went ahead but then I began to hear thunder and I thought, ‘aw, there’s going to be lightning soon, I just know it’. And I know it is just so dangerous in those conditions and the welfare of the athletes is most important.

“It lashed rain and we got absolutely drenched and then it is a combination of things, waking up this morning and not feeling the best. Look, I’m happy overall, it has been a great season.”