London 2012 Olympics: Tim Brabants beats injury and sneaks in to final to defend kayak sprint title

Tim Brabants will defend his Olympic title after qualifying for the final of the men’s ­single kayak 1,000m sprint by the skin of his teeth.

Brabants won gold in the K1 class over this distance in Beijing four years ago but a serious injury in 2010 meant he came into this competition looking vulnerable.

After edging through his heat, ­Brabants looked as though he would be beaten to the line by Miroslav Kirchev, but he found some extra energy in the final metres to finish fourth in 3min 30.769sec, less than a tenth of a second ahead of the ­Bulgarian.

With only the top four qualifying for Wednesday’s final, Brabants was inches away from disappointment.

“When I crossed the line, I didn’t know,” admitted the 35-year-old, ­competing in his fourth Games. “Kirchev and I were looking at each other, waiting for the scoreboard to reveal the result.

“I will give the final my best shot. It will be a lot tougher and I don’t feel the same as I did in Beijing but I’m four years older and I’ve had surgery on my shoulder and a slipped disc since then. Everyone in the final has a chance and I’ve given myself the opportunity to defend my title.

“There have been a number of different race winners in recent times, so it’s tight at the top and nobody will win by far, unless someone does something exceptional. It’s anyone’s race.”

Britain will also have interest in Wednesday’s final of the women’s kayak four. Jess Walker, Rachel Cawthorn, Angela Hannah and Louisa Sawers finished fourth in their semi-final but Richard Jefferies failed to progress from the semis of the canoe single 1,000m event. Jefferies’s exit was expected, however, as he specialises in the 200m.

It is impressive that Brabants, a qualified doctor, will fight for gold again. In 2010, he tore a pectoral muscle doing bench presses in the gym and needed an operation.

Regardless of the outcome of the final, Brabants has not ruled out competing in Rio de Janeiro in four years’ time, when he will be 39.

Brabants worked in the accident and emergency department of Nottingham City Hospital after winning gold in Beijing and plans to return to the day job soon after these Games.

“In the first five minutes after I had the accident in the gym, I thought my chances of competing in these Games were over,” he admitted. “But athletes are quite positive and I was lucky to have an excellent support team and good surgeons, who helped me maintain a positive focus.

“I really wanted to be here and whatever happens, I’m just so pleased that I am. This time last year, I was thinking of going back to work in A&E. A lot of my colleagues from Nottingham have texted me, some have come down to watch and they all say that I’m doing the right thing by choosing this over medicine! My plan is to go back to it after these Games.”