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Next week the first ECA European Championships in the season 2024 will take place in Portugal. The Azores Archipelago will host the 2024 ECA Ocean Racing European Championships between 12^th and 14^th April, while the Opening Ceremony will take place on 11^th April.

The first ECA Ocean Racing European Championships was organised in 2014 in Vila Do Conde, the same city that hosted the 2013 World Championships in this canoeing discipline. The 2014 edition of the ECA Ocean Racing European Championships attracted participants from Portugal, Spain, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Great Britain, Hungary, Turkey, Sweden, Malta, Finland, Ireland and Austria.

In addition to the athletes, specialists for ocean racing, such as Esteban Ojeda, Yannick Laousse, Benoiit Le Roux, Valentin Henot, Sara Trujillo, Angie Mouden, there were also some famous names from canoe sprint and canoe marathon on the start line of the first ocean racing championships of the Old Continent. These names included German Olympic Champion Max Hoff, who finished 20th in men’s SS1 event, then Denmark’s Rene Holten Poulsen, the 2008 Olympic Games silver medallist who finished 26th in men’s SS1 race, then Jonathan Simmons, and Spain’s Walter Bouzan, multiple medallist of canoe marathon European and World Championships ...

The first Ocean Racing European Champion in the history became French kayaker Yannick Laousse. It took him one hour, six minutes and 45 seconds to complete the course in the Atlantic Ocean. Less than a minute behind him Laousse’s compatriot Benoit Le Roux reached the finish line and claimed European Championships silver medal, while bronze medal went to Spain. Daniel Viloria crossed the finish line in third position, and was a minute and 12 seconds behind the first ever Ocean Racing European champion.

The host nation was thrilled in women’s senior SS1 event where two Portuguese paddlers took the top two podium positions. Sara Rafael completed the course in one hour and 22 minutes, a minute ahead of her compatriot Sofia Coelho. Spanish representative Sara Trujillo picked up bronze medal and was a little less than four minutes behind the winner.

In men’s U23 event Valentin Henot took the win ahead of Victor Doux and Antonie Bihannic for a complete French podium. France’s Noe Pelliza was the best in men’s junior SS1 event, finishing the race ahead of Joao Silva from Portugal and Kevin Bihannic from France. In women’s U23 event Angie Mouen from France won ahead of two Portuguese paddlers Catarina Santos and Ana Rolla, while in junior race Joana Moura from Portugal won ahead of her teammate Andreia Ribeiro and Spanish kayaker Claudia Viera.

The 2024 ECA Ocean Racing European Championships in Azores will be one of the two major ocean racing events organised this year in Portugal. This European Country will also host the 2024 ICF Ocean Racing World Championships later this year in Madeira. “For sure Portugal will be the capital of Ocean Racing in 2024! We are used to hosting major international competitions and we like a good challenge concerning our sport. Since 2009 we have organised several international events in every canoeing discipline, so we have a lot of experience and together with our local partners in Azores and Madeira, with no doubt we will organise the best European and World championships ever,” said Vitor Felix, the president of the Portuguese Canoe Federation.

More info: https://canoeoceanracingportugal.com/en/european-championships-2024/