Olympic and world medallists in the mix means the Canoe Sprint races at the first-ever multi-discipline International Canoe Federation Hangzhou Super Cup will be of the highest standards.
The World Championships in Samarkand, held soon after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, was the last major competition for sprint stars, who will be back in action after some well-deserved rest.
Here is our selection of athletes to look out for in China.
Shixiao Xu and Mengya Sun (CHN)
The Chinese duo will be the undisputed stars on home waters. To put into perspective their dominance in Canoe Sprint, Xu and Sun have never been beaten since teaming up for the first time in 2019. At Paris 2024, they retained their Olympic women’s C2 500m crown. Xu and Sun will have fond memories as they return to the Fuyang Water Sports Centre, where they won the 2022 Asian Games title.
Katie Vincent (CAN)
Vincent made history at Paris 2024 by becoming the first female paddler from Canada to win an Olympic canoeing title courtesy of her victory in the women’s C1 200m. She also triumphed before the Games, winning a C1 200m gold and a C2 500m silver at the ICF World Cup in Szeged. In China, she is poised to team up with Connor Fitzpatrick in the mixed C2 500m, having captured the world title in 2022 and 2023.
Aimee Fisher (NZL)
Fisher is the sole representative from New Zealand in Hangzhou and will target gold in the women’s K1 500m after missing out on a medal at the Olympic Games to the legendary Lisa Carrington. After impressing in the World Cup circuit before the Games in France, Fisher was not able to make it count in Paris. She will be determined to put that behind her in China.
Max Lemke (GER)
At Paris 2024, Lemke increased his Olympic gold medal tally to three with victories in the men’s K2 500m and men’s K4 500m. The former was particularly impressive as he had only begun pairing with Jacob Schopf at the ICF World Cup in Poznan. The four-time world champion will look to finish the long season with a bang.
Messias Baptista (POR)
Portugal has a new sprint hero in Messias Baptista. He will be eyeing success in China after striking gold in both the men’s K1 200m and mixed K2 500m in Samarkand. Baptista is set to combine with Joao Ribeiro in the men’s K2 500m – an event they won the world title last year.
Adam Varga (HUN)
Canoe Sprint will not be complete without the Hungarians and Varga is among an eight-member squad in Hangzhou. The 2023 European Games gold medallist added to his Olympic silver from Tokyo 2020 by once again finishing second in the K1 1000m. He will be determined to change the colour of the medal in the 2022 Asian Games host city.
Full coverage of this week's ICF Hangzhou Super Cup featuring Canoe Slalom, Canoe Sprint, Canoe Marathon and Canoe Polo 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
