(BEIJING, August 23) -- Australia's Ken Wallace pulled ahead at end of the course to win the Canoe/Kayak Flatwater Kayak Single (K1) 500 meter final on Saturday, August 23.

　　Wallace took a bronze medal in Friday's K1 1000m final. The 25-year-old has been performing well in recent years, but few believed he would take gold in this 500m competition with so many world class paddlers competing.

　　The most famous of the Wallace's opponents is defending champion Adam van Koeverden of Canada, who took three K1 500m gold medals in the 2008 ICF World Cup series. He was unstoppable before going into this tournament, but his winning run came to an abrupt end, finishing eighth in the K1 1000m final on Friday.

　　In Saturday's final, van Koeverden led the race for about 400 meters, but couldn't get away from Wallace who followed closely behind. In the final burst, both kayakers put out their best effort, and Wallace passed the finishing line in 1:37.252 minutes with a decisive final stroke, just 0.378 seconds ahead van Koeverden.

　　Friday's K1 1000m winner Tim Brabants of Great Britain placed seventh after 250m, but caught up in the last 50m and took a bronze medal clocking 1:37.671 minutes.

　　Athens K1 1000m gold medalist Eirik Veras Larsen placed fourth, only 0.697 seconds behind Wallace.