Czech paddler Martin Fuksa overcame any disappointment at losing yesterday’s C1M 1000m final to Germany’s Sebastian Brendel by winning his first World Championships title, the men’s C1 500m, at Milan today.

Twenty two year old junior world champion Fuska lost on the line yesterday and was more determined than ever to win today. He beat Oleg Tanovschi of Moldova by over half a second, whilst Brendel finished eighth.

“The plan for the race was easy - I wanted to win,” said a thrilled Fuksa afterwards. “The wind was very strong but I had a lot of energy at the finish and I won. It’s perfect to win my first world championships title.”

In the blue ribbon K1M 200m final Canadian Mark De Jonge made a successful defence of his title, becoming the first man to win back-to-back titles since 2003.

“It feels pretty good because it has been so close between the top three of us here the entire season,” said De Jonge after beating Frenchman, Maxime Beaumont, and Peter Manning from Sweden into second and third places respectively.

“So lining up right next to them was a little daunting but it was good to know that those were the two guys I had to stay ahead of.

“I just tried to focus on what I had to do and right off the start I had a bit of a lead so I was able to just maintain focus and keep pretty cool for the race. The plan was to kill it the first 50 because I know I’m pretty good after that and if I was ahead at the 50 I could probably stay ahead.”

New Zealand’s Lisa Carrington extended her domination of the women’s K1 event after winning the women’s 200m final. 

“I guess I don’t necessarily aim to win gold medals but it is a pleasure to race against such a strong field and all the girls are awesome and working hard,” said Carrington, whose latest gold today pushes her up to joint first on the all-time gold medal list (with Caroline Brunet of Canada).

“I race for a great performance and the gold medal is the end of whatever outcome that is.”

Denmark’s Rene Poulsen added to his growing tally of gold medals by retaining the men’s K1M 500 title.

“That was hard but I did a solid race,” said Poulsen, who yesterday won the men’s K1 1000 final.

“My race wasn’t as good as last year but there’s nothing you could do in the 500 apart from keep pushing.

“It was good to keep this young man from Germany (Tom Liebscher) in place and show him who is the king so I managed today and I’m very happy.”

This morning’s headwind suited Hungarian Erika Medveczky who regained the K1W 1000 world championships crown she has last won in 2013

“It was very good because I like this headwind and I just feel I’m very strong,” said Medveczky who finished ahead of Kristina Bedec from Serbia.

“The first 700m I just go enough, not too strong, because I hoped that the other competitors go too fast and they can’t make this. I won this in 2013 so to win it back is very good.”

Other winners today who had never previously won a worlds title included Bulgarian Staniliya Stamenova in the C1W 200m final, beating Kincso Takacs from Hungary by 0.1 of a second. 

“I’m really happy to win my first world championships title and after winning the Europeans it makes it the best year,” said Stamenova, who had won the silver at the last two world championships.

“I have had some problems with my shoulders but maybe this motivated me to train harder and harder.”

In the team events it was the familiar face of Australian Kenny Wallace who, along with partner Lachlan Tame, crossed the line first in the K2M 500m final.

“The 500 is always going to be tough,” said Wallace. “It’s half the distance of the 1000 but it feels like it’s twice as hard sometimes. You basically get one move in that, you got hard then you try and go harder.”

Wallace later went on to claim the K1M 5000m title – his fourth out of the last five world championships – after kicking away from Germany’s Max Hoff with less than 200m to go to the finish line.

“It’s always going to be tough with Max,” said Wallace afterwards. “He’s an endurance animal that just keeps going and going and one day he is really going to hang on and just go for it."

“I was kind of holding off and waiting to see if he would go and I held off until the 190 to go.”

The newly-formed Brazil partnership of Erion de Souza Silva and Quieros Do Santos won the C2M 1000 final. “I am very happy because I won the bronze medal in C1 and now a gold medal in C2, and the 1000 is not my speciality,” said de Souza Silva.

There was no third successive medal for the Czech Republic in the K4M 1000 final. The gold went to Slovakia whilst Hungary and the Czech Republic took silver and gold.

“We just started to paddle with these two young guys earlier in the season,” said Erik Vlcek of the Slovakian team.

“It just came from an experiment to try the young guys together with the old guys and I think the chemistry is perfect in the boat."

“It’s beautiful to win the world champs especially in the prestigious K4 1000m. This is a really hard race, every country wants to show they have the four best guys in one best boat and I’m so happy that today we are the best.”

Maryna Litvinchuk took the K1W 500 win ahead of Britain’s Lani Belcher, ending a good day for Belarus. Litvinchuk had also been in the quartet which won this morning’s K4W 500m final and in the gold medal winning K2W 200m.

Sebastian Brendel took his second gold on the regatta, beating Spain’s Manuel Antonio Campos In the C1M 5000 final.