Teenage sensation Ziga Lin Hocevar of Slovenia will be aiming to continue his red-hot form when he competes at the International Canoe Federation Canoe Slalom Junior and Under 23 World Championships in Liptovsky Mikulas, Slovakia.
Hocevar is enjoying a sensational start to the season, capturing his first European senior title and winning his maiden ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup title at the age of just 16.
The Slovenian rising star underlined his burgeoning talent when he claimed two gold medals on home water at the European Canoe Association Canoe Slalom European Championships in Tacen in May.
He then followed that up by claiming the men’s C1 title at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup in Augsburg.
This week will see Hocevar look to reclaim the men’s C1 junior crown that he won at last year’s World Championships in Krakow.
Hocevar is also the highest ranked athlete in the field in the men’s K1 junior and will fancy his chances in the men’s kayak cross junior.
His elder sister, Eva Alina Hocevar, could deliver more joy for their family as she sets her sights on the U23 crown.
The 22-year-old, who won K1 junior gold in 2018, will face stiff competition for the kayak title with the likes of Germany’s Emily Apel, Czechia’s Katerina Bekova and France’s Emma Vuitton aiming to get in amongst the medals.
Czechia’s Gabriela Satkova will provide a tough challenge for Hocevar in the women’s C1 having risen to number three in the world rankings.
The Italian duo of Tokyo 2020 Olympian Marta Bertoncelli and Elena Borghi and Czechia’s Tereza Kneblova are other strong medal hopefuls in the women’s canoe.
In the women’s junior event, Slovenia’s Naja Pinteric holds the best world ranking across the C1, K1 and kayak cross as she targets glory.
In the men’s U23 competition, France’s Mewen Debliquy and Italy’s Martino Barzon are among the main contenders for the men’s canoe crown, ranked at 20 and 22 in the world respectively.
France’s Anatole Delassus and Czechia’s Jakub Krejci are both inside the world’s top 10 as they bid for the men’s kayak U23 title.
Other contenders include Great Britain’s Jonny Dickson and Italy’s Xabier Ferrazzi who won the junior K1 gold in Krakow last year.
Delassus is also the highest ranked athlete in the men’s kayak cross U23 at eight.
More than 400 athletes from 48 nations spanning five continents will compete at the ICF Junior and U23 World Championships.
Competition will run until Sunday with the first finals taking place on Tuesday with the team events.
Full coverage of this week's event 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
Related links
