Tacen in Slovenia will host its first full canoe slalom world cup competition since the Covid pandemic this weekend as teams prepare for their final international before this year’s ICF world championships in Augsburg, Germany.
Tacen hosted a slimmed down world cup in 2020, with many teams unable to attend because of Covid restrictions. The smaller fields provided an opportunity for several new names to make the podium.
Sweden’s Isak Ohrstrom won the men’s K1, France’s Romane Prigent the women’s K1, Brazil’s Ana Satila the women’s C1 and Slovenia’s Luka Bozic the men’s C1. All four have entered this weekend’s competition.
More than 200 athletes from more than 30 countries have entered what many consider one of the most challenging courses on the canoe slalom circuit. Only Augsburg in Germany has hosted more world cups than Tacen since the series started in 1988.
The course hosted its first world cup in 1989, when Richard Fox, father of Jessica and Noemie Fox, won the men’s K1 title for Great Britain. 24 years later Jessica made history on the same course when she became the first athlete to win both K1 and C1 world cup gold at the same event.
Ljubljana last hosted a full world cup in 2019, when Italy’s Giovanni De Gennaro won the men’s K1, Italy’s Stefanie Horn the women’s K1, Australia’s Jessica Fox the women’s C1 and another Italian, Roberto Colazingari, the men’s C1.
All four athletes will be back to defend their titles this weekend. Most of the powerful German team will also return, after being forced to withdraw from Krakow last weekend after a Covid outbreak in the team.
The last time Tacen hosted an ICF world championships was in 2010, when Austria’s Corinna Kuhnle won the women’s K1 title. Kuhnle has shown a liking for the Ljubljana course, where many of the Austrian team often train, also winning the European title in 2017 and a world cup title in 2018.
A large field has once again entered the extreme kayak competition, including reigning world champions Joe Clarke of Great Britain and Jessica Fox of Australia.
