Australia’s Kailey Harlen and Natalia Drobot announced themselves on the big stage with an impressive victory at the International Canoe Federation Canoe Sprint World Cup in Poznan, Poland.
A year after becoming world U23 champions, Harlen and Drobot stepped up to the senior level to win the women’s kayak double 500m title in fantastic fashion.
Martyna Klatt and Anna Pulawska were the home favourites, but they were no match for the Australian duo.
Harlen and Drobot powered clear to triumph in 1:43.30, as Klatt and Pulawska took silver in 1:44.58 and Hungary’s Blanka Kiss and Anna Lucz earned bronze in 1:45.75.
“We came away with a gold at the U23 World Championships last year so to be able to back that up and win here we are beyond thrilled,” said Harlen.
“We knew it was going to be a really challenging race out there, so we had to stick to our process, stay in our lane and we are really pleased with how we executed that.”
Schopf and Lemke edge Czech pair in thrilling finish
There was double delight for Germany, winning both the men’s K2 500m and women’s canoe double 500m on the final day.
Olympic champions Jacob Schopf and Max Lemke snatched the men’s K2 500m gold from Czechia’s Jakub Spicar and Daniel Havel.
It was a pulsating race as the Czech pair pushed the German duo all the way.
Schopf and Lemke roared with delight when they clinched victory in 1:30.36, edging Spicar and Havel by 0.13.
It was a second gold for Schopf and Lemke in Poznan after being part of the triumphant German K4 500m crew.
“It’s been a good two weekends for us as we put a lot of pressure on ourselves,” said Lemke.
“After winning the Olympic Games, we were here to win the final today and we managed to do so.
“For us, it was also the selection race against the other German K2 to race at the World Champiosnhips so that was the goal.
“We had a good race today but there is still a lot of space to improve until the World Championships in Milan.”
Spicar and Havel crossed in 1:30.49 for silver, while Italy’s Samuele Burgo and Tommaso Freschi claimed bronze in 1:30.63.
New German pairing secure C2 title
Germany’s Nico Pickert and Conrad-Robin Scheibner pulled off a terrific performance from lane nine to clinch men’s canoe double 500m gold.
Just over two weeks after coming together for the first time, the new German pair struck gold, winning in 1:42.70, as Olympic silver medallists Gabriele Casadei and Carlo Tacchini of Italy took second in 1:43.06.
China’s Yuebin Yu and Chenwei Yu registered 1:43.11 for bronze.
“We had a pretty good idea about where we were standing in the field and in the end it was closer than we felt like when we crossed the finish line,” said Scheibner.
“When I saw the replay, I was surprised how close it was but we can be very happy with the outcome here and I hope we will improve throughout the season.
“We are a new pairing – we came together two and a half weeks ago so from there it is a really good base to build from for the World Championships and maybe for the Olympic cycle.”
Vincent completes golden double
Canada’s reigning Olympic champion Katie Vincent came out on top in a gripping women’s canoe single 200m final.
It was a fantastic race that went right down to the wire, with the top four paddlers separated by just 0.35.
Ukraine’s Iryna Fedoriv made a superb start, leaving Vincent and Sophia Jensen with plenty to do in the closing stages.
Vincent timed her race to perfection, producing a brilliant finish to win in 47.48, edging the Ukrainian by 0.15.
Fedoriv capsized when she lunged for the line as she took silver in 47.63, while Jensen clinched bronze in 47.77.
“I am really happy with this one,” said Vincent who also won the women’s C1 500m title.
“I didn’t have the greatest start but kept charging right through the finish line and came lucky today.
“Szeged was a tough race in the conditions. Even though it was tough today, it was a bit fairer and I paddled better.
“All the 500m training translates so I knew in the last 50m I could get more out of the race.”
Full coverage of the ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Cup can be viewed on the Planet Canoe YouTube channel.
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