Blog posts
Canoe Wildwater
For the first time in its history, the Wildwater World Championships were held in conjunction with the Canoe Slalom World Championships, and the result was an enormous success.
The beautiful Pau venue was a perfect setting for this first-time event, and the night time finals for the wildwater discipline proved popular with the athlete and the crowds alike.
And there were plenty of former world champions proving they were still top of their game.
Czech Ondrej Rolenc won his third World title and Frenchwomen Claire Haab and Claire Bren their second.
...Read more
Canoe Freestyle
In a tremendous coup for freestyle canoeing and for the International Canoe Federation, the 2017 World Championships headed to South America for the first time, with San Juan in Argentina hosting the marquee event.
Early fears that the remoteness of this year’s venue would scare off competitors was largely unfounded, as all the world’s top athletes turned up in force.
And what a show San Juan put on! Great Britain’s Claire O’Hara added to her impressive world title collection with another double, freestyle legend Dane Jackson took a C1 title but had to watch on...Read more
Canoe Marathon
South Africa, for so long a canoe marathon powerhouse, proved a tremendous host for the 2017 ICF World Championships, and the local fans were not disappointed.
Hank McGregor, the dominant force in the sport for the past decade, thrilled the home crowd with two gold medals, including his seventh individual world title.
And there was a tremendous battle in the women’s K1, which saw Hungarian powerhouse Renata Csay upstaged by the dogged British paddler, Lani Belcher.
In a repeat of the 2016 result, McGregor and teammate Andrew Birkett gave the host nation a...Read more
Ocean Racing
Scenic Hong Kong, with its bustling harbour crowded with Chinese junks, international shipping lines and tourist ferries, also this year hosted the ICF World Ocean Racing Championships.
It was against this picture-perfect backdrop that South Africa’s Hayley Nixon became the third women’s World Champion from as many events, and Australia’s Cory Hill successfully defended the world title he won in Tahiti in 2015.
The conditions for the men’s and women’s races could not have been more opposite, with the women’s event raced in tranquil waters, while the men’s race...Read more
Canoe Slalom
By John Gregory
The first year in a new Olympic cycle heading to Tokyo. The venue construction is well-advanced and several athletes have been travelling out to Tokyo. Fédération Française de Canoë-Kayak (FFCK) demonstrated in style a wonderful showcase for the sport. The number of local children inspired by the Worlds was a testament to their superb organisational skills.
K1M – Three different Czech World Champions in 4 years
The depth of the Czech K1M became all too clear as Ondrej Tunka, 27, took the world title....Read more
Canoe Sprint
A new year, new events, but Olympic champions doing what they do best – the 2017 ICF Canoe Sprint season set the scene for what promises to be a gripping...Read more
