Australia’s Jessica Fox and Czech Vit Prindis have both recorded their third Canoe Slalom World Cup wins of the 2017 season, storming to victory in Ivrea on Saturday.

Their wins could not have been more different; Fox, a three-time C1 world champion, finished more than 10 seconds ahead of Austria’s Viktoria Wolffhardt, while Prindis finished just 0.29 seconds ahead of USA’s Michal Smolen in the men’s K1.

In the men’s C2 it was a return to the top of the podium for Slovak cousins Ladislav and Peter Skantar, the Olympic gold medallists in Rio.

jess fox c1 ivrea.jpg

Fox brought up her third consecutive C1 World Cup title of 2017 in stunning fashion, posting a time of 100.83 to finish well ahead of Wolffhardt on 111.57, with Czech Tereza Fiserova third.

“I gave it everything,” Fox said.

“I’m really thrilled with that run. I love this course, I have great memories in Ivrea, and to win again here is fantastic.”

Prindis started 2017 in career-best form, winning the K1 at the opening two World Cups before a back injury kept him out of the final in Markkleeberg.

But the Czech was one of the only top ten paddlers this year to make it into Saturday’s final, his 87.15 just enough to edge out USA’s Smolen on 87.44.

“I didn’t expect that this many times I would be on the top in the World Cups,” Prindis said.

“I was hoping today that maybe I would make the final, and then maybe make the top three. The water is quite difficult, and we only had a few sessions before the races so that is not enough to be comfortable with the water.”

Slovenia’s Peter Kauzer finished third.

skantar c2 ivrea.jpg

Ladislav and Peter Skantar have struggled in 2017 to find their gold medal-winning form from the Rio Olympics, but broke through in Ivrea in 100.99 to take C2 gold, ahead of Germany’s Robert Behling and Thomas Becker.

“We have three weeks until the World Championships, and we feel very good because it is what is important,” Ladislav Skantar said.

Saturday’s results extend the lead of Fox and Prindis in the 2017 World Cup standings, with the World Cup final to be held in La Seu D’Urgell in Spain next weekend, while Czech’s Jonas Kaspar and Marek Sindler lead the C2 standings.

ICF WORLD CUP FOUR RESULTS

Men’s C2

  1. SKANTAR/SKANTAR  (SVK)  100.99
  2. BEHLING/BECKER (GER)       102.54
  3. KLAUSS/PECHE      (FRA)        103.14

Women’s C1

  1. FOX Jessica  (AUS)                     100.83
  2. WOLFFHARDT Viktoria (AUT) 111.57
  3. FISEROVA Tereza           (CZE)  115.70

Men’s K1

  1. PRINDIS Vit     (CZE)                   87.15
  2. SMOLEN Michal (USA)                87.44
  3. KAUZER Peter    (SLO)                 89.31
Canoe Slalom
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