There was endless action across the mixed relay races as the International Canoe Federation Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships finished in spectacular fashion in Halifax, Canada.
Denmark were the top performers in the thrilling finale, winning the mixed relay kayak single in junior and U23, while China and Germany emerged victorious from the mixed relay canoe events.
The gold medals just kept coming for Canada as Toshka Besharah triumphed on home waters and the host country’s women’s junior canoe four 500m topped the podium.
There were also titles for Hungary, Poland and Turkiye in the non-Olympic events on the final day of competition in Halifax.
Besharah became the second Canadian athlete of the day to retain her world title as she captured a narrow victory in the women’s U23 kayak singles 200m.
The home paddler followed up Isabel Lowry’s success to win gold in 41.30.
"It's awesome to be at home and be able to race and show the same performance that I did last year, but in front of a home crowd,” said Besharah.
“There have been a lot of young athletes here cheering us on, and it means a lot for me to be able to share that experience with them."
"Our team's been incredible this week. Having somebody like Matt Brown from Halifax do so well shows that across all disciplines we are a powerful nation, and we can be very competitive internationally.
"Making so many A finals, from U23 women and U23 men down to the U18s as well, I'm just proud to be a part of that."
"Seeing all the other Canadian athletes have success out there definitely motivated me even more to want to go out and do it myself."
Great Britain claimed their first podium in Halifax as Amy Green captured silver in 41.40, just seconds behind the victor. Denmark’s Karoline Nielsen took bronze in 41.42.
There was more for the home crowd to celebrate as the Canadian quad powered to victory in the women’s junior C4 500m.
Lowry captured her second title of the day, this time alongside Madeleine Beauregard, Abbigail Haines, and Victoria Tran in a time of 1:50.68.
“We’ve only been training together for about a week,” said Beauregard.
“We’ve all been on Team Canada before, so we know each other.”
“The last 100 metres of the race was really hard, but we had a plan and we stuck to it,” said Haines.
“To be honest, the braids were one of the coolest parts, we all got matching braids for the final,” said Lowry.
China captured silver in 1:52.66, as Spain took bronze in 1:53.63.
In the men’s junior K1 500m, Turkiye’s Rahmi Karahan finally got his hands on a gold after securing two bronze medals earlier in the week.
Karahan maintained his form to cross the line in 1:38.95 to capture Turkiye’s first junior gold medal.
"I competed very well, I feel very good,” said Karahan.
“This is just the start; this is all for Turkiye.”
Hungary’s Kristof Uram secured silver in 1:39.50, while France’s Telio Le Petit completed the podium in 1:39.54.
There was a dominant performance from Poland’s Alex Borucki in the men’s U23 K1 500m, as he captured the title in 1:36.94.
"I've had a really difficult time since the National Championships. My paddle broke at the start, it got stuck on the start block,” said Borucki.
"After that, we had to glue it back together, but we did it at the wrong angle.
"It was about 15 degrees off. My arms were burning in training, and I was struggling a lot in the 1,000 metres. I kept thinking, 'It can't be me.' I was so angry.
"I know I can do much better in the 1,000 metres, but I'm happy with what I achieved today.
"I helped my guys in the K4 win their first medal, so I'm really proud of them. I'm happy with what I got too.
"To still be the best in the K1 500 metres is something I'm really proud of."
Hungary’s Adam Kaed put up a good fight but couldn’t test Borucki, as she captured silver in 1:38.04.
Australian Olympic silver medallist Pierre Van der Westhuyzen took bronze in 1:38.61.
Hungary enjoyed a strong day on the water and Lili Gazdag made it even more successful.
Gazdag captured her nation's fifth gold of the day in the women’s junior K1 200m.
After a false start pushed the race to the last of the day, Gazdag was determined to bring her own medal to the impressive tally, crossing the line in 41.27.
“It was a bit confusing during the false start because no one stopped,” laughed Gazdag.
“It was tough mentally but I was really focused, so I won it twice.
“Now I want both of the medals,” she joked.
“Since I can remember, Hungary has always been at the top of the medal tables, so for me it’s inspiring to see everyone race and win.
“It just gives me that special feeling to be Hungarian.”
Germany’s Femke Rupf captured the silver in 42.05, as Czechia’s Barbora Janotova took bronze in 42.13.
In the women’s U23 C4 500m, China powered to victory.
Jianhua Luo, Miao Zhang, Hongyan Yan, and Li Li captured gold in 1:49.58.
Hungary secured silver in 1:50.62, and Canada claimed another medal with bronze in 1:51.44.
Denmark started strong in the mix junior K1 5000m, and held onto their lead to capture gold.
Rasmus Klitte and Frida Soborg both put in consistent performances to finish with a time of 24:17.86.
"It was a hard race. I saw some of the German and Czech guys falling into the water,” said Klitte.
"You just had to keep going. I got into the first portage, had a little bit of a gap, and then just gave it everything. It was so nice.
"My trainer from home is also here, and that's a big support. My family's here, my brother's at home and has been texting me. It's just so nice, they're a big part of my life."
Soborg said: "It was a bit challenging, but I think the conditions suited us well in the wind. So, yeah, it worked out for us.
"I didn't cry when I crossed the finish line. But then I saw my mum crying.
“This medal means a lot.”
Three nations battled for the remaining medals with Great Britain’s Samuel Dickson and Dianora De Bilio taking silver in 24:31.32.
Poland’s Adam Kuscinski and Julia Piasecka stole the bronze from Ireland to cross the line in 24:32.00 as less than a second separated the nations.
Denmark saw more success as Valdemar Jorgensen and Emily Bonney took gold in the mixed U23 K1 5000m.
They finished in a time of 24:25.30, setting a decent gap between themselves and the remaining medallists.
Germany powered to silver in 24:37.49, as Slovakia completed the podium in 24:40.77.
In the mixed U23 C1 5000m, China captured the title in the narrowest victory of the relay events.
Jia Wang and Li Li crossed the line in 27:23.20, with Germany’s Scipio Rossi and Carlotta Loske finishing in 27:26.72.
The medal marked Li’s third gold of the competition.
“The race was tough, the conditions changed a lot, but it was perfect for us because we never give up,” said Li.
“It’s always an honour to be here representing my nation.”
Moldova incurred a 10-second penalty which dropped them into third, as they finished in 27:28.72.
The duo of Moritz Haase and Lykka Strobel claimed victory for Germany in the mixed junior C1 5000m final.
Czechia’s Danylo Martynenko and Tereza Jiskrova sealed silver in 27:34.36 as Junhang Mao and Yanyang Huang took bronze for China in 27:41.05.
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