The race for glory in the 2025 International Canoe Federation Canoe Slalom World Cup Series has begun.
After the opening two legs of the season, the battle for the overall titles is starting to ramp up.
The World Cups in La Seu, Spain and Pau, France offered plenty of exciting races as the season got underway.
Let’s look at how things are shaping up in each of the categories ahead of this week’s third stop in the five-leg series in Prague.
Click here for startlists and live results from Prague
Men’s Kayak
Picking up from where he left off last season, France’s Anatole Delassus has been a model of consistency in 2025.
Champion in 2024, Delassus is in prime position to replicate his success this year as he occupies top spot after two rounds.
The 24-year-old has claimed back-to-back silver medals, finishing behind teammate Titouan Castryck in La Seu and Germany’s Noah Hegge in Pau, and will be aiming to go one better in Prague this weekend.
Castryck is four points behind Delassus in second after backing up his victory in La Seu with a fourth-place finish in La Seu.
Australia’s Lucien Delfour has also showed great consistency, finishing third at both World Cups.
Czechia’s Jakub Krejci and France’s Benjamin Renia complete the top five, with Italy’s Xabier Ferrazzi, Poland’s Mateusz Polaczyk, Spain’s Pau Echaniz and Hegge among those chasing hard.
Click here for the full standings
Women’s Kayak
Germany’s Ricarda Funk is another reigning champion in fine form as she leads the way in the women’s kayak.
The Tokyo 2020 gold medallist followed up her European title in Paris with solid performances in the World Cup to open up an 18-point lead in the overall standings.
She ranked fourth in La Seu before clinching the title in Pau a week later to climb to the summit.
Like fellow Australian Delfour, Kate Eckhardt has been rewarded for her consistency, moving to second after two fifth-place finishes.
Sona Stanovska’s triumph in La Seu keeps the Slovakian in the top three despite failing to make the final in Pau.
The top five also features Great Britain’s Lois Leaver and Spain’s Laia Sorribes, with Evy Leibarth of the United States, Maialen Chourraut of Spain and Kimberley Woods of Great Britain only a few points behind going into Prague.
Click here for the full standings
Men’s Canoe
France’s Yohann Senechault is the only man to pass the 100-mark in the canoe leaderboard as he finds himself in first spot.
After finishing in fourth position in La Seu, Senechault secured silver in Pau to see him climb to the top of the rankings.
Slovenia’s Luka Bozic ranked 13th in Pau but his victory in La Seu keeps him in contention, 10 points behind Senechault.
Spain’s Miguel Trave is two points back in third, while Great Britain’s Ryan Westley’s triumph in Pau moves him into fourth place.
Poland’s Kacper Sztuba is level with France’s Mewen Debliquy on 78 points with Italy’s Flavio Micozzi four points further back in seventh.
Click here for the full standings
Women’s Canoe
Three-time Olympic champion Jessica Fox of Australia is in cruise control in her pursuit of overall glory after collecting maximum points.
Fox swept to victory in La Seu and Pau to put her in a commanding position, 21 points clear of nearest challenger Miren Lazkano of Spain.
The Australian is the only athlete from any of the categories to sit on a maximum 120 points after the opening two stages.
Lazkano sealed silver in La Seu before finishing fifth in Pau to remain in second spot behind Fox.
Czechia’s Martina Satkova, France’s Angele Hug and Italy’s Marta Bertoncelli have also got off to strong starts, with Leibfarth, Switzerland’s Alena Marx and Ukraine’s Viktoriia Us among the top eight.
Click here for the full standings
Men’s Kayak Cross Individual
Great Britain’s Sam Leaver has showed great speed in the first two World Cups to move ahead in the men’s kayak cross individual standings.
A fifth place in La Seu was followed up with a silver medal in Pau to move six points clear at the top.
Switzerland’s Jan Rohrer is in second spot largely thanks to his second-place finish in La Seu, while Czech duo Matyas Novak and Krejci occupy third and fourth, respectively.
Jonny Dickson is the other British paddler in the top five after winning in La Seu, while France’s Renia and Spain’s David Llorente are both on 78 points.
Click here for the full standings
Women’s Kayak Cross Individual
France’s Camille Prigent has been in electrifying form in this format, winning two medals to forge in front of her rivals.
Prigent secured silver in La Seu before going one better with gold in Pau to increase her points tally to an impressive 115.
Lazkano and Fox sit on 94 points, while Leibfarth and Australia’s Noemie Fox are also in the top five.
Slovenia’s Ajda Novak’s second-place finish in Pau has moved her into sixth spot, while Funk is in seventh.
Click here for the full standings
Men’s Kayak Cross
There is nothing separating Rohrer and Llorente in the tussle for the men’s kayak cross crown as they both sit on 80 points.
Rohrer clinched bronze in La Seu before making the semi-finals in Pau, while Llorente has yet to get a medal but has made a semi-final and final so far this year.
Renia is 15 points back in third position, with Spain’s Manuel Ochoa, who triumphed on home waters in La Seu, and Echaniz, who struck gold in Pau, also in the top five.
Other paddlers in the mix include Dickson, Novak, France’s Mathurin Madore and China’s Hejie Zhang.
Click here for the full standings
Women’s Kayak Cross
As well as leading the women’s kayak standings, Jessica Fox holds top spot in the women’s kayak cross rankings.
The Australian star has yet to get on the podium in the kayak cross this season but two semi-final placings put her in pole position overall on 75 points.
Czechia’s Tereza Kneblova, who claimed silver in La Seu, remains in second spot, while Hug, who won the season opener in Spain, is in third.
Lazkano has climbed to fourth courtesy of her triumph in Pau, while Italy’s Chiara Sabattini has moved up to fifth after her silver in France, and Novak, Lois Leaver and Chourraut have also accumulated more than 50 points from the first two legs.
Full coverage of the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup can be viewed on the Planet Canoe YouTube channel.
Click here for the full standings
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
