Eyes of canoeing community have been turned to Buenos Aires as the canoeing part of the Youth Olympic Games started with two day head to head sprint competitions. As it was to expect young Hungarian paddlers did a great job winning three medals in four events that were organised. Eszter Rendessy took gold medal in women’s kayak head to head sprint final, Adam Kiss did the same in men’s kayak final, while Laura Gonczol picked up silver medal in women’s canoe event. Athletes from Slovakia, Belgium and Czech Republic also finished the competition in winner’s podium.
Hungarian team had a lot of reasons to celebrate after two canoe sprint competition days in Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires. They have finished the events with three medals, making them the most successful team of canoe sprint part of the competition. In women’s kayak final Eszter Rendessy won in the final match against Slovakia’s Katarina Pecsukova. “I never imagined this. I was a bit nervous, because there were a lot of waves in the water,” said Rendessy, whose idol is Danuta Kozak. Bronze medal went to Stella Sukhanova from Kazakhstan.
In men’s kayak final it was a gold medal for Adam Kiss. 16-year-old Hungarian paddler admitted in an interview for ICF that he almost finished his career before going to Buenos Aires, “I touched rock bottom two months ago. I was really close to breaking down totally and quitting canoeing altogether. But I’m really happy that I overcame that weakness of mine and that I came here and got the gold. It was a combination of things, and I just felt a little fed up. I was maybe training too much, it was a little bit of everything. In my career, this is a very important stepping stone, maybe the most important stepping stone there is.” Silver medal was won by Belgian Jules Vangeel, while bronze medal, too much joy of local fans, went to the hands of Argentinean Valentin Rossi.
The youth Olympic champion titles in remaining two events were won by Asian representatives. However, European paddlers won at least a medal in every event. In women’s canoe final Laura Gonczol (HUN) won silver medal after Gulbakhor Fayzieva from Uzbekistan showed more power in the final, while Mexican paddler Stephanie Angie Rodriguez Guzman picked up bronze medal in this event.
In men’s canoe final gold medal went to Kazakhstan thanks to the performance of Dian Bakhraddin. Islomjon Abdulsalomov from Uzbekistan was second and Jiri Minarik from Czech Republic won bronze medal.
RESULTS – Head to head sprint
K1W
1. Eszter Rendessy HUN
2. Katarina pEcsukova SVK
3. Stella Sukhanova KAZ
C1M
1. Dias Bakhraddin KAZ
2. Islomjon Abudlsalomov UZB
3. Jiri Minarik CZE
C1W
1. Gulbakhor Fayzieva UZB
2. Laura Gonczol HUN
3. Stephanie Angie Roriguez Guzman MEX
K1M
1. Adam Kiss HUN
2. Jules Vangeel BEL
3. Valentin Rossi ARG
Photo: Magyar Kajak-Kenu Szövetség
16.10.2018
