European Canoe Association

Golden Czech day at the 2023 ECA Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom European Championships

21.7.2023

Teams from Czechia and Great Britain found the best lines of canoe team events at the 2023 ECA Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom European Championships and celebrated team European Champion titles. Czechia won three gold medals: in women's canoe U23 and junior team event and in men's junior canoe team event, while gold medal in men's U23 canoe team race went to Great Britain.

Czech canoe slalom team dominated in the Friday's canoe team events of the 2023 ECA Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom European Championships in Bratislava. Four medals were for the grab and Czechia won three of them.

However, the first gold medal of the day went to Great Britain who celebrated team European Champion title in men's U23 canoe team event. James Kettle, Peter Linksted and Kurts Rozentals concluded the demanding course in 100.37, with two touches and additional four penalty seconds. France (Mewen Debliquy, Yohann Senechault, Adrien Fischer) had six penalty seconds and was 0.55 seconds behind to win silver medal. Team of Slovenia with Nejc Polenčič, Juš Javornik and Žiga Lin Hočevar, who was the defending champion, had to settle with a bronze medal this time.

Czech women's U23 canoe team was considered the main favourite for the European Champion title and Gabriela Satkova, Tereza Kneblova and Eva Rihova did not disappoint. They had two penalty seconds and still five and a half seconds advantage over Slovak team. Zuzana Pankova, Sona Stanovska and Emanuela Luknarova (SVK) had the fastest run of the day in this event, but eight penalty seconds cost them gold medal and European Champion title. They were second at the end. Bronze medal went to Italy with Marta Bertoncelli, Elena Micozzi and Elena Borghi.

Lukaš Kratochvil, Tomaš Vetrovsky and Filip Jiras (CZE) were the best in junior men's canoe team event. Young Czechs did not have the fastest run of the day, but managed to get to the finish line with only one touch. The gates setting was very difficult as none of the teams on the start line managed to produce a clean run. France with Martin Cornu, Elouan Debliquy and Titouan Estanguet was faster on the course, but six penalty seconds pushed them to the silver medal position. Žiga Lin Hočevar (SLO), who won bronze medal in the U23 canoe team event, paddled also in junior category and won his second bronze medal of the day. This time Andrej Jeklin and Matej Trojanšek joined him on the winner's podium to receive bronze medal for Slovenia.

In the last medal event of the day Czech anthem played for the third time in a row to honour Julie Štepankova, Valentyna Kocirova and Natalie Erlova for their winning run in women's junior canoe team event. Silver medal was won by Great Britain (Zoe Blythe-Shileds, Arina Kontchakov, Aimee Collins), and bronze medal went to Spain (Haizea Segura, Izar Garcia, Anna Simona).

Canoeists started the day with individual heats. Young German canoe slalom athlete Paulina Pirro produced the fastest heats time in canoe, following the win in Thursday's heats in kayak. She was very fast on the course, namely, Zoe Blythe-Shields (GBR) in second place was four and a half seconds behind, while Valentyna Kocirova (CZE) in third place crossed the finish line six seconds behind Pirro.

Slovenia's Žiga Lin Hočevar won in men's junior canoe heats. Young paddler, who won silver medal in this event at last year's junior European Championships, was two seconds faster than David Staffen (SVK), and Lukaš Kratochvil (CZE) finished third.

France celebrated a double win in men's U23 canoe heats with Yohann Senechault finishing first and Mewen Debliquy second. Spain's Miquel Trave was third. In women's C1 U23 heats local favourite Zuzana Pankova picked up two penalty seconds but was still the fastest. Tereza Kneblova (CZE) was second and Ellis Miller (GBR) third.

Saturday's programme at the 2023 ECA Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom European Championships brings kayak semifinals and finals in men's and women's U23 and junior categories.

RESULTS - day 2

3xMC1 U23

1. Great Britain

2. France

3. Slovenia

3xWC1 U23

1. Czechia

2. Slovakia

3. Italy

3xMC1 Junior

1. Czechia

2. France