Sweden’s Melina Andersson overcame the disappointment of her paddle breaking to retain the women’s kayak single short-distance title at the International Canoe Federation Canoe Marathon World Championships in Metkovic.
Her victory with the use of a paddle that she had never competed with before after her teammate accidently broke her original one came on a day of dramatic short-distance races at the Croatian venue.
Denmark's Mads Brandt Pedersen clinched the men’s K1 crown for the first time after coming out on top in a final that saw Portugal’s Fernando Pimenta and Argentina’s Agustin Rodriguez both receive 15-second penalties for missing buoys.
There was also a maiden triumph for Spain’s Ignacio Calvo who secured top spot in the men’s canoe single final, while Hungary’s Zsofia Nora Kisban successfully defended the women’s C1 title.
Andersson proved too strong in the women’s K1 short-distance final, forging clear of Hungarian pair Emese Kohalmi and Vanda Kiszli.
It looked like a comfortable victory for Andersson but the Swedish paddler revealed that it was a far from easy day.
“Just before the heats, my original paddle broke,” said Andersson.
“A teammate of mine dropped a table right on the blade so it broke.
“I had to take the spare one that I never use but then it felt really good when I got on the water so I could calm down and do my race.
“When it happened, I was really sad and was like ‘oh my God so I decided to call my mum saying ‘I don’t know what to do’.
“I just gave this one a shot and it felt the same so I could be confident as I got help from some paddle guys so it was awesome.”
Kohalmi, who won two golds at last month’s ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Samarkand, took silver as two-time champion Kiszli bagged bronze.
There was drama in the men’s K1 short-distance final as Pimenta’s hopes of a third successive title ended when shortly after a portage.
Pimenta and Rodriguez both missed a buoy after running into traffic, allowing Pedersen and South Africa’s Hamish Lovemore to battle it out for gold.
Pedersen, who has picked up silver on three occasions, held off Lovemore to end his long wait for gold.
“This is huge,” said Pedersen who has three world titles over the long distance to his name.
“It’s my first win in the short-race at the World Championships.
“It was the biggest field ever with more than 50 people signed in the men’s K1 so it is also cool to see the sport keep growing and get a lot of interest.
“This is such a nice atmosphere and community.
“Racing is at a really high level so to take the win at the end of the day is pretty cool.”
Lovemore sealed silver as Spain’s Ivan Alonso collected bronze after Pimenta and Rodriguez both received 15-second penalties.
Calvo became the latest Spaniard, joining Diego Romero and Manuel Antonio Campos, to win the men’s C1 short-distance crown.
The 27-year-old’s decision to return to marathon paddling paid off as he produced an impressive showing to bag gold.
“It is my first participation in the World Championships in this distance so I could not be happier.
“I have found a race which is a mixture between marathon and sprint and is the most suitable for me.”
Poland’s Mateusz Borgiel finished strongly to clinch silver, with France’s Thomas Dunilac earning bronze.
Kisban tightened her grip on the women’s C1 short-distance with a superb showing to retain the title.
After tussling with Ukraine’s Liudmyla Babak, Kisban found an extra gear to pull away for the win.
“I am really happy because I won this short race last year and can again be world champion,” said Kisban.
“It has been a really hard year because there was pressure.
“I really wanted win this race again so I am so happy.”
It was the same top three as last year’s World Championships with Babak sealed silver and her Ukrainian teammate Olena Tsyhankova claimed bronze.
The morning’s competition was hit by torrential rain and thunderstorms when junior finals were held.
Portugal’s Maria Gomes and Czechia’s Tereza Kodetova clinched the respective women’s K1 and women’s C1 crowns before Hungary’s Marcell Meri sealed the men’s C1 title.
For the results and competition schedule, click here.
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