Ukraine’s Serhii Yemelianov and Maryna Mazhula have been eying off double gold in the paracanoe at next year’s Tokyo Paralympic Games, and underlined their credentials with strong performances at the Ready Set Tokyo test event on the weekend.

Yemelianov, the 2016 Rio gold medalist and a three-time world champion, was once again untouchable in the men’s KL3 200, powering to victory over Russia’s Leonid Krylov and Australia’s Dylan Littlehales.

Teammate Mazhula once again showed her dominance in the women’s KL1, beating Chile’s Katherinne Wollermann and Japan’s Monika Seryu. Mazhula has won the past two world titles and is a gold medal favourite for Tokyo next year.

Paralympic gold medalist Curtis McGrath suffered a rare defeat in the men’s KL2 final, the Australian pipped by Brazil’s Fernando Rufino, with Ukraine’s Mykola Syniuk third.

But McGrath returned to his winning ways in the final of the men’s VL3, one of the new events at next year’s Tokyo Paralympics. McGrath beat Brazil’s Caio Carvalho, with Great Britain’s Stuart Wood third in a carbon-copy of the results from Szeged last month.

Italy’s Esteban Farias returned to the top of the podium with a win in the men’s KL1 200, beating Brazil’s Carlos Cardoso and Hungary’s Robert Suba.

Great Britain’s Charlotte Henshaw is also firming as favourite in the women’s KL2 after once again seeing off teammate and 2016 gold medalist, Emma Wiggs, while Russia’s Nadezda Andreeva third.

Henshaw’s teammate Jeanette Chippington made a long overdue return to the winner’s circle in the women’s VL2, another event which will make its Paralympic debut next year. Chippington, a KL1 gold medalist in Rio in 2016, defeated Australia’s Susan Seipel and teammate Wiggs.

Paracanoe
#ICFparacanoe #paracanoe