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On the opening day of the 2022 ECA Canoe Marathon European Championships three junior Canoe Marathon events were held, and in the afternoon four short race finals followed. The main favourites for the medals took the podium positions on day one of the European Championships.

 

In the short race, participants competed on a 3400 metres long course. Hungarian Vanda Kiszli, the 2021 women's K1 World Champion in this discipline, again showed power and took the win ahead of Eva Barrios from Spain. Spanish competitor was 15 seconds behind to secure herself a silver medal, and Samantha Clark from Great Britain was third. She was 16 seconds behind the winner of the short race final.

 

Mads Pedersen won the gold medal for host nation in men's K1 short race. The local favourite also for the classic marathon race on Saturday beat all the opponents for more than 12 seconds. Spanish kayakers Ivan Alonso and Walter Bouzan were second and third respectively. The defending European Champion, who is also the 2021 World Champion, Jose Ramalho from Portugal didn't have the best opening day of the championships and was eleventh.  

 

Ukraine's Liudmyla Babak, the 2021 World Champion, was the strongest in women's canoe short race final. It was a tight race, but at the end she pulled out a win with a three seconds advantage over Great Britain's Bethany Gill. Marine Sansinena from France won bronze medal in this event.

 

Poland celebrated a double win in men's C1 short race thanks to Mateusz Borgiel and Mateusz Kaminski. Borgiel managed to defend the title from last's years European Championships. Bronze medal went to the hands of experienced Spanish canoeist Manuel Campos.

 

In the morning part of the programme juniors fought for the European Champion titles. In a 19 kilometres long race, with five laps, four portages and a small lap, Zsofia Szerafin from Hungary took the gold medal in junior women's K1. On the highest podium position, she replaced her compatriot Maja Horvath who was unbeatable in this event in 2021. Hannah Andersen from Denmark was second and Greta Roeser from Great Britain won bronze medal.

 

Participants of junior men's canoe race also competed in a 19 kilometres long race. It was Eryk Wilga from Poland who dominated this event. He was almost half a minute faster than Hungarian Peter Soltesz in second place, while third place also went to Hungary thanks to Tamas Szollosi.

 

Anastasia Dezhytska from Ukraine was the best in junior women's C1 event. It took her one hour, nine minutes and six seconds to complete the 11,8 kilometres long course. Hungarian Imola Batka was second, and Anna Gorinsky from Spain was third.

 

After the first competition day Hungary leads on the medal table with a total of five medals, two gold medals, two silvers and a bronze. Spain, too, picked up five medals, but still waits a golden one. Poland is second on the medal table with two gold medals and one silver, while Ukraine won two gold medals for third position on the medal table.

 

On Friday, the championships continues with junior women's K2 and junior men's C2, and U23 men's C1 and K1 and women's U23 K1 events.