Temperatures are rising in Montemor-o-Velho as paddlers battled it out for spots in the finals at the International Canoe Federation Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships.
Semi-finals and more heats were contested on a sizzling day of racing as the likes of Olympic medallists Pierre van der Westhuyzen of Australia and Cuba’s Yarisleidis Cirilo Duboys took to the water.
Van der Westhuyzen posted a time of 1:42.72 to book a place in the men’s kayak single U23 500m final, but he is set to face tough competition from Jonas Ecker of the United States who clocked the fastest time of 1:41.19.
Click here for startlists and live results from Montemor-o-Velho
The Australian, who won silver in the men’s kayak four 500m at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, then teamed up with Maguire Reid to win the last race of the day in the men’s kayak double U23 500m heats.
“It’s day two of the regatta but I have now had my first races here,” said van der Westhuyzen.
“I just wanted to go out there, execute a good process, blow the cobwebs out for the start of the regatta.
“You can’t even cruise through a heat so every race is going to be on it, and I just wanted to go out here and just know that I can trust in my race plan and executive it.”
Van der Westhuyzen is competing in his first Junior and U23 World Championships since 2022.
“I have only raced one before and that was just in team events, so this is my first time out there in a K1 at U23 so pretty excited about that opportunity,” added the 21-year-old.
“It's pretty cool.
“It’s usually a pretty tight-knit group of guys who are coming over here.
“It’s definitely a different experience to a senior World Championships and something I’m super stoked that I’m not missing out on this year.”
The women’s canoe single U23 200m final is an exciting prospect with Spain’s Viktoriia Yarchevska and Cirilo Duboys ready to go head-to-head.
Cirilo Duboys, who won Olympic bronze in Paris last year, registered the fastest time in the heats, clocking 45.88.
Yarchevska, who won the opening ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup of the season in Szeged, is set to challenge Cirilo Duboys as she clocked 46.80.
Individual Neutral Athletes Yuliya Trushkina and Ekaterina Shliapnikova are also poised to be in the mix for medals.
Another intriguing showdown looks set to come in the women’s C1 junior 200m with very little separating the times of Audrey Harper of the US, Hungary’s Petra Laura Paragi and Ukraine’s Yelyzaveta Vozniuk who won their respective heats.
After a strong opening day, Hungarians continued to produce good performances with Hanna Havadi Hollo and Hanna Gloria Acelos and Zoltan Ivan Mircse and Vilmos Szabo topping their heats in the respective women’s and men’s K2 junior 500m.
In the men’s C2 junior 500m, Lithuania’s Danielius Gaurys and Dovydas Gaurys pulled clear of the field in their heat, winning by more than four seconds and qualified to the final as the quickest in 1:47.59.
Uzbekistan, Slovakia and Spain were also among the nations to do well on day two ahead of the first day of finals tomorrow.
Pictures by Bence Vekassy
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