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In the first team event of the second competition day at the 2024 ECA Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom European Championships in Krakow, Poland, the team of Slovenia celebrated European Champion title in men's canoe U23 team event for the second time with the same team, consisting of this year's senior canoe European Champion Ziga Lin Hocevar, who is 17 and is still a junior, Jus Javornik and Nejc Polencic. The successful trio now won five medals in the last three seasons competing in the same cast, when Hocevar was first allowed to compete at major international canoeing championships. With this title, they now have two team gold medals from U23 European Championships, one bronze medal from U23 Europeans, and a silver and bronze medal from U23 World Championships. In Krakow, they produced a penalty free run and were 4.27 seconds faster than French team with Mewen Debliquy, Yohann Senechault and Tanguy Adisson. Bronze medal went to Great Britain with Edward McDonald, Luc Royle and Kurts Rozentals (+8.37).

 

In women's U23 canoe team event Italians Marta Bertoncelli, Elena Micozzi and Elena Borghi won their second title of the year. Namely, this team was also crowned U23 World Champion early in July when Liptovsky Mikulas, Slovakia, hosted the first of the two Championships for Junior and U23 canoe slalom paddlers. Bertoncelli, Micozzi and Borghi won their fifth medal at U23 World and U23 Championships. Italians now celebrated European Champion title with almost two and a half seconds lead. Czech team with Klara Kneblova, Adriana Morenova and Tereza Kneblova finished in the silver medal position (+2,42), while bronze medal went to France with Camille Castryck, Doriane Delassus and Nina Pesce-Roue.

 

Martin Cornu, Elouan Debliquy and Titouan Estanguet confirmed they are the best men's junior canoe team of the season 2024. In July, they won Junior team World Champion title and now they continued their winning streak at the European Championships. They were unbeatable on the course in Krakow. Spanish team that won silver medal, consisting of Jan Vicente, Oier Diaz and Azuka Mbelu, was ten and a half seconds behind. Bronze medal went to Slovakia with Patrik Riegel, Branislav Carsky and Dominik Egyhazy (+11.91).

 

In the last team event of the championships, women's junior canoe, the same three teams that were on the podium of World Championships in July won medals also at the European Championships, only the second and third place were now swopped. Czechs Valentyna Kocirova, Marketa Stepankova and Natalie Erlova confirmed their domination in the event, finishing the race almost 13 seconds ahead of their closest rivals. Czechs are also the reigning junior World Champions. Silver medal went to Germany this time with Neele Krech, Christin Heydenreich and Carolin Diemer (+12.91). France with Lena Quemerais, Camille Brugvin and Margot Lapeze won bronze medal (+16.93).

 

 

On Saturday, the 2024 ECA Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom European Championships in Krakow continues with men's and women's kayak semifinal and final.