VAIRES-SUR-MARNE, France — A Seattle kayak duo made Olympic history for the United States on Friday morning in Vaires-sur-Marne.
Aaron Small and Jonas Ecker became the first U.S. kayakers to qualify for an Olympic A final in 24 years, with the last group qualifying way back in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Small was born and raised in Seattle while Ecker hails from Bellingham.
In the Paris Olympics men's kayak double 500-meter semifinal, Ecker and Small finished with a 1:29.51, good for fourth place and securing a spot in the A final later Friday morning. In that A final, the pair finished with a 1:30.02 and did not win a medal.
Ecker and Small both attend the University of Washington and have trained for the past few years with the Seattle Kayak and Canoe Club on Green Lake.
The two also competed separately in the individual men's kayak 1,000-meter competition, but neither advanced to the semifinals.
Small wears hearing aids and hoped to make other hard-of-hearing athletes proud with his qualification and performance in the Olympic Games.
"Now that I can kind of step in and fill that role for the next generation of younger kids I'm really hoping I can make a difference like breaking the stigma of hearing loss and wearing hearing aids," Small said.
Western Washington has seen 18 medals be awarded to athletes with local ties at the Paris Olympics, with winners in rowing, 3x3 basketball, swimming and several other events. Check out the full list here.