History was made in Foix, France as kayak cross individual champions were crowned for the first time at the International Canoe Federation Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom World Championships.
Slovakia’s Zuzana Pankova, Great Britain’s Sam Leaver, Spain’s Anna Simona and Slovenia’s Ziga Lin Hocevar etched their names in the record books as the first-ever winners of the event in the four categories.
A thunderstorm interrupted competition but it failed to dampen spirits on the riverbank as fans enjoyed the thrill of the time trial.
Click here for startlists and live results from Foix
For Pankova, her success showed that persistence can prevail as she sealed the women’s kayak cross individual U23 title.
At U23 level, Pankova has become used to finishing second. She picked up four silver medals at the 2023 European Championships and added another to her collection after a gate touch denied her gold in the women’s C1 U23 yesterday.
But Pankova kept pushing and was finally rewarded with victory today as she saw off the Czech challenge.
The Slovakian paddler triumphed in a time of 55.36, winning by 0.29 as Czechia’s Olga Samkova crossed in 55.65.
Tereza Kneblova joined Czech compatriot Samkova on the podium after posting 56.43 for bronze.
“This is totally unexpected,” said Pankova.
“I was just thinking ‘We will see what happens’ but I didn’t expect this.
“There were not many technical moves, only ups so I knew that if I did good ups I would paddle my soul out and it worked.
“It’s amazing.
“It’s the first time ever for this event so it’s awesome.”
For Hocevar, his triumph demonstrated that he is also able to bounce back from disappointment.
After the emotion of failing to defend his men’s K1 and C1 crowns as he finished second in both, Hocevar responded in fantastic fashion.
Even a 70-minute delay to the men’s kayak cross junior individual caused by a thunderstorm could not stop Hocevar from producing a gold medal-winning performance.
The Slovenian powered to victory in 51.21, as Faust Clotet Juanmarti of Spain had to settle for second in 51.52 and France’s Clement Davy collected bronze in 52.78.
“I was quite disappointed yesterday with silver which is stupid but that’s how I am,” said Hocevar.
“It was all or nothing so I went all out and it worked.
“This is more than a full-time job for me and all of us here.
“Every day you get up, you work, you eat, you sleep well to have enough muscles.
“You are focused for the whole day. They postponed the race, so you have to be in the zone for quite some time.
“When you cross the finish line, all the emotions come out.
“It’s very emotional.”
Great Britain’s Sam Leaver, who has already established himself as the world’s top ranked paddler in the men’s kayak cross individual on the senior circuit, proved too strong in Foix.
Leaver credited his British teammate Joseph Clarke, the Rio 2016 Olympic champion, for helping him to deliver gold in 50.62.
“It feels great,” said Leaver.
“My friend Jonny Dickson won it last year.
“It wasn’t a medal event yet unfortunately but for Great Britain to win the event back-to-back shows our strength and how much we put into this race.
“It’s nice to see that hard work pays off.
“My training with Joe Clarke makes a massive difference with things like this.
“Me and him have been going at it in time trials like this for ages.
“Taking on the best in the world helps.”
Like Pankova, Leaver also overcame Czechia’s top speedsters prevail as Matyas Novak came second in 50.92 and Jakub Krejci was third in 51.06.
There was also delight for Spain as Simona got the better of Great Britain’s Arina Kontchakov and Germany’s Britta Jung to win gold.
Simona claimed the women’s kayak cross individual junior crown in 57.69.
She was 0.28 seconds faster than Kontchakov and Jung who both posted 57.97 to share silver, while Germany’s Neele Krech bagged bronze in 58.28.
“I don’t know what to say, it’s an incredible moment,” said Simona.
“I felt fast on the course.
“At gate seven, I got a bit stuck, and I didn’t know how to do it but then I pushed through it.
“There was fantastic support from my teammates here and it helped me a lot.
“They are why I’m here.”
Full coverage of the ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom World Championships can be viewed on the Planet Canoe YouTube channel.
Join Planet Canoe's YouTube channel for €9.99 per month to unlock members-only content and features
Read YouTube's frequently asked questions for more details.
Related links
