The opening day of the 2024 International Canoe Federation Canoe Polo World Championships in Deqing saw the top three nations in the U21 men’s and women’s categories start with wins.
Men’s world number one Spain got the better of Lithuania 7-2 in their opener, with Jose Luis Aguilar smashing in four goals.
Despite the scoreline, the first half saw Lithuania defend well and concede only two goals.
However, the mood changed in the second half, with the Spaniards turning on the style. The defending champions faced Belgium next and won the game 5-2.
Johannes Foerster joined Aguilar on the four-goal bandwagon, helping Germany breeze past Japan 11-2 before beating Switzerland 3-1.
A Paolo Messina brace was enough for the Italian men to triumph over world number 14 The Netherlands. They won 6-3 and added to the result with a massive 9-4 victory over Chinese Taipei.
In the second half, however, the Italians lost focus at the back, allowing Ruo-Chi Sun and skipper Tien-Yang Sung to score three goals with six minutes remaining.
Back after missing out on the last edition in Saint-Omer, Australia failed to win in their opening fixtures.
However, the Aussies were involved in entertaining draws in both categories against teams ranked above them.
The men’s team drew 5-5 against Chinese Taipei while the women’s team finished 3-3 against Great Britain.
France, Germany and Spain women all showed their class in the morning session, registering massive wins, with many double-digit scores.
Spain got the biggest win of the day, brushing past debutants Thailand 18-1. Ines Arosa Soto, Valentina Nogueira and Carmen Almela Isach all scored hat-tricks.
Raquel Calvente Reboll was the star of the show, scoring five past a helpless Thai side.
Defending champions New Zealand had it easy against fierce rivals Australia and Singapore, winning 8-2 before edging Great Britain 4-3.
Hannah Hunt and Ellery Nielsen scored three goals each for the Kiwis on the first day.
The second day of the tournament will see the senior men’s and women’s teams begin their campaign, with The World Games 2025 qualification on the line.
The Germans are the defending champions and will be favourites in both categories.
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