Original Article on The New York Times

Caroline Queen had never traveled to Cardiff, Wales until recently. And yet Queen, a 19-year-old on the U.S. national kayak team, has most definitely been here before. For the second time, Queen is one qualifying race away from earning a seat in the Olympics. Four years ago, Queen fought for a spot in the 2008 Games, which depended on her performance at the World Cup in Augsburg, Germany. But she failed to make the cut. And Queen hopes the feeling of deja vu shes experiencing lately ends there. One great but stressful thing about this sport is that anything can happen, said Queen, whose path to London will depend on how deftly she can navigate through rapids and slalom gates at the World Cup event in Cardiff, June 8-10.Shes in the thick of ...(read more)