Germany’s Andrea Herzog and France’s Mathurin Madore came out on top in a fantastic day of kayak cross racing as the International Canoe Federation Canoe Slalom World Cup finished in style in Tacen, Slovenia.
Kayak cross delivered captivating races from start to finish with big surprises, huge collisions, home success and an historic medal for Japan.
Fans were also enthralled by the kayak cross individual on a challenging Slovenian course for paddlers as Great Britain’s Joseph Clarke and France’s Camille Prigent emerged victorious.
Here’s what the medallists had to say after a gripping Sunday.
Click here for startlists and live results from Tacen
Women’s Kayak Cross
Andrea Herzog (GER – gold)
I’m really, really happy. I didn’t expect to win today, not even to get into the final. I was really, really happy to be in the semifinals so this is a crazy. I didn’t feel I had a good chance to win it going to the left upside with (Setchell and Chourraut) going against each other so I tried to go on the right and the Japanese girl followed me. It was a hard race to win but I did really well and then I was first, I don’t know how. This has given me a lot of confidence, especially for Germans showing that we are on the right path training kayak cross and after the little disappointment yesterday not getting into the final because of a pretty stupid 50 (second penalty) I am just happy to finish this weekend so well. I just tried to attack today and show what I learnt in the summer in kayak cross and it was pretty good.
Momoka Nagasu (JPN – silver)
I really appreciate the support and now I’m surprised to have got this result. I don’t know how to feel. This is my first time competing in Tacen. It is a very difficult course so I am so happy.
Nikita Setchell (GBR – bronze)
It’s really good to be back here. I seem to do quite well in Tacen so it’s nice to do it again. I became U23 world champion here and was third in the European Championships here last year. I just seem to feel at home here. The course is very unpredictable so anything can happen. It is always a fight to gate one, you never quite know what is going to happen. It was a real challenge with Maialen but really good fun.
Men’s Kayak Cross
Mathurin Madore (FRA – gold)
It’s very nice. Every race in kayak cross is different. I’m trying to stay confident on each run. I have been looking for this first victory since the beginning of the season so I am really happy to get it now. It gives me an extra boost of confidence until the end of the season. I was third in Pau which was my first medal in the head to head racing but I know that sometimes you can be racing really well and get knocked out and sometimes you can get lucky so I am going to every race with the same spirit and trying consistent and I made it today so I am really happy with it.
Jan Locniker (SLO – silver)
It’s incredible. The home crowd is amazing. I am still learning kayak cross so this is not a bad result. I didn’t expect this. I like the time trial more than the head-to-head races so I was more focused on the individual. I was hoping that I could progress to the next stages but I didn’t expect to get to the final and then get a medal. It’s my first year in the senior team so I am really happy about the result. I was still deciding whether to paddle kayak cross next year but it now looks like I will be.
Alex Baldoni (CAN – bronze)
I have been training a bit more in kayak cross lately. I was doing a lot of kayak cross in Paris with other countries. Today was a beautiful day, I was competing with a lot of friends in quarter-finals, semi-finals and final so I was so happy to be that and enjoyed it all the way through. In the end, I finished third and I am so excited, so it was a great day. I have never had a World Cup medal so I am super stoked but I need to keep working to make sure that I can keep a good level and I hope this can keep going.
Women’s Kayak Cross Individual
Camille Prigent (FRA – gold)
I’m really happy. It’s always hard to get motivated for the time trials because it hurts. It’s good to finish the morning like this. I felt really bad as I didn’t follow my plan in a few places so I was really surprised when I saw the time go green at the finish. Firstly, my nose was diving at the ramp, at up gate six I didn’t do the sweeper and after the roll I was almost at the rock so in my head it was a mess but I knew I was pushing hard. I am hoping to find this confidence in slalom as well.
Eva Alina Hocevar (SLO – silver)
If I’m honest in the morning, I didn’t feel great at all as I was so exhausted. It’s different if you race at home or somewhere else as you have got to do a lot of media stuff and you have friends and family here. It’s good but really tiring. I was dead yesterday evening, my body battery was zero so I didn’t know how I could compete today. I did as short warm-up as I wanted to sleep as long as possible. Somehow I managed to be ready at the start and when I got on the water I gave my maximum and I was sprinting until the end and as hard as I could so it’s amazing. I was really shocked when I saw my time. I watched the run of Lois Leaver and she did really well, so I knew it would be hard to get onto the podium. I told my dad that I hope to get to the next phase inside the top 32 as I didn’t feel great but on the water I felt really good and had good lines. When you don’t feel super fresh I didn’t expect when I crossed the finish line that I would be first so it was a really good surprise.
Evy Leibfarth (USA – bronze)
It’s crazy. I just feel like this whole season I’ve been just out of the medal positions in the time trial. It’s really awesome to be able to put through the whole course. For myself, Camille, Eva we are having such an amazing season so to be able to share the podium again with them is fantastic. I found the course really tricky. I had a little bit of difficulty getting into the rhythm of this run. I started out a little rocky and the water here in Tacen is really swirly so you have got to really push through it. Halfway down I was able to lock myself in.
Men’s Kayak Cross Individual
Joseph Clarke (GBR – gold)
I obviously missed the first part of the season to have my second child. I was sat at home eagerly watching the results and really wanting to be out there. Sometimes you have got to do what is best for you and your family and that was to stay at home and support my wife with our newborn child. I have done that, I’m back out here and to get a gold straight off the bat is really good. There are a lot of obstacles out there that aren’t actually part of the course as you have got to avoid the rocks and the shallow parts of the river. We have had sun, a lot of rain and a lot of sun again so you are approaching a different course each time you come out here so it is about reading and being adaptable. Tacen is about managing the water and not letting it manage you so I think I did that really well out there today. I’ve had a lot of time out, so I wanted to get back on the startline for World Cup 4 and 5. I’ve done that. I wanted to be competitive and straight away it’s showing that the work has been worthwhile so long may it continue for Augsburg and the World Championships.
Jakub Krejci (CZE – silver)
It’s really good to be the current overall leader but I know that the double points in the Augsburg World Cup will make it really interesting. I have got to make one more result to keep it. The British guys are really strong. It’s always a tight fight with Sam so I am so excited to race again in Augsburg and try to do my best. I feel a bit sad about my slalom performance because it is the second time where I got a touch and then missed the podium because of it. But it’s really nice to have a medal from the race in the time trial here.
Sam Leaver (GBR – bronze)
It’s really nice to share the podium with Joe. We have been training loads and we have only had one race together before this which was Prague and we were both rubbish so it’s nice to both be on the podium now. Hopefully there will be more of this to come. We have been training kayak cross for two years now, although we have been officially in a training group for about six months but we have been doing loads of these time trial sessions together. It’s always super competitive and often comes down to the last section so I think that level of competition in training pushes the level up by so much. I am second now (in the overall standings). I needed to beat Jakub this weekend but when I saw that I was 0.05 behind I was like ‘no’. I needed to get an advantage before Augsburg but with double points as long as I finish above him I think I will get him. We are having some banter between us. He beat me in Pau by 0.01, I got him at the U23 World Championships and he has got me here so it is a bit of back and forth but it will all come down to Augsburg next weekend.
