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The 2025 ECA Canoe Slalom European Championships introduced a new competition format with only one heats run, from which the top 30 boats in each event progress to the semifinals. From there, the top 12 will move on to the final.

 

With strong competition, the athletes had to show their full skill and readiness already in their first individual appearance at the European Championships, as there is no second chance. In the men’s kayak category, two young French team members took full advantage of their knowledge of the home course, finishing first and second. The winner Titouan Castryck beat his teammate Anatole Delasus by 1.83 seconds, while the Slovak paddler Jakb Grigar who placed third trailed by 3.34 seconds.

 

In the women’s kayak heats, the best time was set by a Czech paddler Lucie Nesnidalova, who stopped the clock at 91.67. The closest competitor was a Polish athlete Klaudia Zwolinska, also an Olympic medallist from last year, finishing 0.61 seconds behind. An Andorran representative Monica Doria took third place.

 

In the women’s canoe, the fastest was the defending European champion from last year’s event in Ljubljana, German paddler Andrea Herzog Like the other defending champions, she competed with a special bib number that highlighted her previous title. Second place went to a Czech canoeist Martina Satkova, and third to a Slovak Zuzana Pankova.

 

It was also a tense heats day in the men’s canoe event. The best performance came from a Spanish paddler Miquel Trave, who was 1.60 seconds faster than last year’s Olympic champion Nicolas Gestin from France. The third place went to Benjamin Savsek, the Tokyo Olympic champion from Slovenia, who was 2.80 seconds behind.

 

Several big names in canoe slalom missed the semifinals, as the new rules allow only one heats run with no second attempt. Among those not advancing to Saturday’s semifinals are Raffaello Ivaldi, Angela Hug, Hannes Aigner, Felix Oschmautz, Martin Halcin, Jan Barta, Jakub Krejci, Paulina Pirro, and Emmanuel Luknarova.

 

Saturday brings an intense competition schedule. At 9:00, the women’s kayak semifinals will begin, followed at 10:10 by the men’s kayak semifinals. The top twelve from each will qualify for the finals, which start at 11:30 with the women, and continue at 12:10 with the men. In the afternoon, at 14:15, the women’s canoe semifinal will begin, followed at 15:20 by the men’s canoe semifinal. The competition will continue at 16:45 with the women’s canoe final, and conclude at 17:20 with the decisive run in the men’s canoe.