2017 Magazine
2017 - THE ICF's YEAR IN REVIEW
According to the script, the year following an Olympic Games is meant to be an opportunity for everyone - athletes, officials, supporters - to catch their breath. But 2017, the post-Rio 2016 season, never went to script for the International Canoe Federation.
World Championships in seven different disciplines, World Cups, and competitions in almost every corner of the globe - it was a year to remember for everyone involved. So here is a review of the main events of 2017!
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Paracanoe
There was a real buzz among our Paracanoe athletes this year, one year after the sport made its Paralympic debut in Rio.
Almost all of our Rio athletes were back in action, and there was no sign of a post-Games hangover with many of our gold medallists backing up with world championship gold medals in Racice.
There was more great news for our paracanoe community late in the season, with the announcement three new disciplines will be added to the next Paralympics in Tokyo.
Rio Paralympic gold medallists Jeanette Chippington, Emma Wiggs, Curtis McGrath and...Read more
Canoe Polo
The highlight of the 2017 season for the ICF Canoe Polo community was undoubtedly the World Games in Wroclaw, Poland – a World Championships in the discipline in all but name, and dominated once again by the teams from Germany.
Seven of the world’s best teams, both men’s and women’s, took part. In previous years it was a six-team competition, but an extra position was added for 2017.
It meant the top five countries in the men’s and women’s from the 2016 World Championships were all invited to attend, along with the host nation. The seventh team was the highest...Read more
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.
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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
