The Czech Republic picked up four gold and three silver medals in a dominant display in the team events on the opening day of the ICF junior and U23 canoe slalom world championships in Slovenia on Tuesday.

The Czech teams won three of the four canoe finals, and also won the men’s U23 kayak team final. Host nation Slovenia was the next best performing nation, picking up two gold medals.

Among the Czech winners was the impressive women’s junior canoe team, who posted a time more than one second quicker than their victorious teammates in the U23 category. The junior team finished almost 20 seconds ahead of the next best team, Germany.

French paddler Romane Prigent showed her liking for the difficult Tacen course by helping her team defend its gold medal in the women’s K1 event. Prigent won gold at an ICF world cup on the same course last year, and was also a member of the K1 U23 team that won gold in 2019 in Krakow.

There were also gold medals for Germany in the women’s K1 junior team’s event, and for host nation Slovenia in the men’s junior team and the U23 men’s canoe.

It was the fifth time Slovenia has won gold in the men’s junior K1 team event, while a silver medal for the Czech Republic in the women’s K1 junior race continued a remarkable record of finishing on the podium at 18 of the 20 world championships in this event.

RESULTS

WOMEN’S KAYAK U23 TEAMS

• France      101.09     (4 seconds penalties)
• Slovakia   104.24     (0)
• Germany  106.39     (6)

WOMEN’S KAYAK JUNIOR TEAMS

1. Germany            108.08     (0)
2. Czech Republic 116.05     (8)
3. Slovenia             119.19     (6)

MEN’S KAYAK U23 TEAMS

1. Czech Republic 88.09    (0)
2. France                92.41    (4)
3. Germany            92.57    (6)

MEN’S KAYAK JUNIOR TEAMS

1. Slovenia             95.97    (2)
2. Czech Republic 96.95    (2)
3. France                97.69    (4)

MEN’S CANOE U23 TEAMS

1. Slovenia             93.80      (2)
2. Czech Republic 94.64      (0)
3. France                94.72      (4)

MEN’S CANOE JUNIOR TEAMS

1. Czech Republic  96.80     (0)
2. France               105.33     (6)
3. Germany           106.21     (4)

WOMEN’S CANOE U23 TEAMS

1. Czech Republic 112.33   (2)
2. France               114.23   (4)
3. Slovakia             118.78   (6)

WOMEN’S CANOE JUNIOR TEAMS

1. Czech Republic  110.61   (2)
2. Germany             129.06  (10)
3. Slovakia               138.76  (6)

Pics by Nina Jelenc