In Fulda, the 53rd Wildwater Downriver Race took place, with sprint races on Saturday and the classic race scheduled for Sunday. In rather wintery conditions, around 170 athletes competed for victory and the first points in the 2025 ECA Wildwater Sprint Canoeing European Cup. The competition was held on a 300-meter course.
In the men’s K1 event, Swiss paddler Linus Bolzern recorded the fastest time of 44.24 seconds, narrowly beating his compatriot Luis Clavadetscher by 0.33 seconds. Belgium’s Joren Bogarets finished in third place, just 0.40 seconds behind the winner.
Germany dominated the women’s K1 event, with Anne Jaeger and Sophia Schmidt securing a 1-2 finish, crossing the finish line just 0.15 seconds apart. Czech paddler Anna Retkova took third place, 0.29 seconds behind the winner.
In the women’s C1 event, Germany’s Franziska Gawehn claimed victory with a commanding lead, finishing in 1:04.15. Swiss competitor Selina Amrein took second place, 9.61 seconds behind, while Great Britain’s Kerry Christie finished third, trailing by 11.6 seconds.
In the men’s C1 event, experienced paddler Normen Weber secured the win in a tight race, beating Czech competitor Matous Beier by just 0.15 seconds. Serbia’s Pavle Zdravkovic finished third, 1.67 seconds behind.
The men’s C2 event saw a German victory, with Scholz – John finishing first, narrowly ahead of fellow Germans Brueggemann – Lueken (+0.14). The Croatian pair Presecki – Slonjsak secured third place, 1.25 seconds behind.
In the women’s C2 final, Switzerland’s Mona Clavadetscher and Hannah Mueller took a convincing victory, finishing 8.70 seconds ahead of their Swiss teammates in second place. Germany’s Eikelmann – Puttkammer finished third, over 10 seconds behind the winners.
In the men’s U18 K1 event, the podium was occupied by Germany’s Henry Koelman, North Macedonia’s Blagoj Guginov, and Switzerland’s Jonas Kronenberg. In the women’s U18 K1 event, Belgium’s Marguerite de Hasque claimed victory, followed by Germany’s Annika Eikelmann and Switzerland’s Mia Schlaeppi.
The next race in the ECA Wildwater Sprint Canoeing European Cup series is scheduled for April 6, 2025, in Veles, North Macedonia.
16.3.2025
