Jessica Fox won big in women's canoe as Germany dominated the kayak races at the International Canoe Federation Canoe Slalom World Cup in Pau.
Kayak cross, as always, delivered as the five-part World Cup Series is taking shape ahead of the third leg in Prague at the end of the month.
Here are five takeaways from the three days of competition at the Pau-Pyrenees Whitewater Stadium.
Click here for results from Pau
C1 Queen
Two finals, two gold medals. Jessica Fox is the undisputed C1 superstar in the women's category this season and is on course to defend her crown. The reigning Olympic champion has given no chance to her rivals, winning by more than four seconds in the first World Cup in La Seu and by more than three seconds in the second one in Pau. While the Australian has had trouble making it to the kayak finals in both competitions, it would be a surprise to see her not holding the overall World Cup trophy after the Final in Augsburg.
No guarantee of medals?
Six medallists from the first week did not even compete in the finals in Pau. In the women's K1, Sona Stanovska of Slovakia, Camille Prigent of France, and Monica Doria of Andorra, who won gold, silver, and bronze, respectively in La Seu, were knocked out in the heats. In the men's C1, Luka Bozic of Slovenia, Adam Burgess of Great Britain and Nicolas Gestin of France, who took the top three positions in Spain, did not make the top 12. Is the uniqueness of the course or the new single heat format that is proving to be a challenge? There is a chance that it could be the latter with most top athletes familiar with all the courses in the circuit by now.
View this post on Instagram
Funk it up
Ricarda Funk’s display in Pau made it clear that the German will not shy away from the challenges life throws at her. The Tokyo 2020 gold medallist did not have the best Olympic Games in Paris last year but has bounced back in style. The 33-year-old grabbed the European K1 title at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium last month and added one more to the bag at the World Cup in Pau. She only narrowly missed out on the podium in the season opener in La Seu, finishing fourth behind Andorran Monica Doria. With the World Cup Series Final happening in Augsburg, Funk has placed herself as the favourite to defend the overall trophy.
Sizzling Spanish
The Spanish have made a statement in kayak cross so far. In La Seu, there was a mix of head-to-head and individual titles for the hosts thanks to Manuel Ochoa and Miren Lazkano. In Pau, the stars in red dominated the men's and women's kayak cross races. Lazkano proved that her medals on home waters are not a one-off, storming to the women's title, with bronze going to three-time Olympic medallist and compatriot Maialen Chourraut. Among the men, Paris 2024 K1 bronze medallist Pau Echaniz opened his account for the season. With Great Britain winning the men's and women's overall trophies for the last two seasons, are we finally seeing the changing of the guard? Only time will tell.
French surprise
Nicolas Gestin, the reigning Olympic C1 champion, and Titouan Castrck, the K1 silver medallist from the Games last year, were tipped to dominate the races at home, especially after standing on the podium last weekend. However, there were a few others that delivered. Familiar faces Camille Prigent and Paris 2024 kayak cross silver medallist Angele Hug rose to the occasion, carrying the momentum from the first week. Mathurin Madore's bronze in the men's kayak cross, Yohann Senechault's silver in the men's C1 and Eva Pietracha's silver in the women's K1 ensured the hosts had plenty to cheer for.
Full coverage of the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup can be viewed on the Planet Canoe YouTube channel.
Join Planet Canoe's YouTube channel for €9.99 per month to unlock members-only content and features
Read YouTube's frequently asked questions for more details.
Related links
