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This year's edition of the Canoe Slalom World Championships in Bratislava brought a lot of excitement as well as surprises. Many of the favourites were outside the medals or even outside the final, and new stars shone bright.

 

One the brightest stars was Elena Apel who won medals in all three individual events she participated in. In women's canoe, she won her first senior World Champion title, in kayak she was just behind her teammate and Olympic champion Ricarda Funk, while in extreme slalom only Australian Jessica Fox paddled faster than Apel.

 

Ricarda Funk (GER) became the first paddler in history to celebrate Olympic and World Champion title in the same year following the postponement of Tokyo Olympics. Apel finished second in women's kayak final and Kimberley Woods from Great Britain was third.

 

Germany celebrated gold medal in women's canoe for the second consecutive World Championships. In 2019, it was Andrea Herzog who reached the top podium position and now Elena Apel. Olympic medallist Mallory Franklin from Great Britain was second and Czech Gabriela Satkova, the 2020 European Champion, third.

 

Elena Apel also picked up a medal in extreme slalom. Like in kayak she was second, behind Australian Jessica Fox. American Evy Leibfarth was third in this event.

 

In men's K1 French kayaker Boris Neveu won his second World Champion title (he was the best already in 2014). Quite surprisingly 26-year-old Italian Marcello Beda won his first senior medal with a silver, and Joan Crespo from Spain won bronze at the second World Championships in a row.

 

Vaclav Chaloupka (CZE) was the surprising winner of men's canoe final, finishing the final run ahead of Slovak Alexander Slafkovsky and 2018 World Champion Franz Anton (GER).

 

In extreme slalom final 2016 Olympic Champion Joe Clarke got the consolation prize after shockingly failing to qualify to the semifinals in the kayak event. Finn Butcher from New Zealand was second in extreme slalom and Austrian Mario Leitner third.

 

In team events France won two gold medals - in men's kayak and canoe events. In kayak Slovakia and Slovenia won silver and bronze medal, while in canoe Czech Republic and Slovakia finished second and third. Gold medal in women's kayak team event to Great Britain, Czech Republic was second and Slovakia third. In women's canoe team race teams from Czech Republic, Spain and Russia won the medals.