On Sunday, the Olympic Regatta Course 'Moscow' hosted the forth and the final day of the AAACUP: The Ageev brothers and Olympic champions Iurii Postrigai and Alexander Dyachenko competition in canoeing. Medals were awarded in eight finals at the most spectacular distance of 100 metres, and in the unofficial part of the tournament, celebrities and the best athletes representing figure skating, rhythmic gymnastics, artistic swimming, as well as free-diving and MMA competed in unique demonstration races. More than 1000 athletes and amateurs from 19 countries took part in the tournament. 186 sets of medals were awarded. In total 668 races were held, including demonstration races, among which there were 20 crews of "dragon" boats. The ICF's correspondent Sergey Medvedev filed this report..
In the morning athletes determined the best at the world's shortest supersprint distance, a single-boat race for kayak and canoe, which is the signature of the Ageev Brothers Cup.
Irina Andreeva, world championships medallist, became the best in the women C1 100m with a result of 24.11 seconds. Andreeva in a tense struggle outstripped her colleague in the Russian national team, six-time world championship medallist, regular participant of the Ageev Brothers Cup Olesya Romasenko (24.30 seconds). The bronze was won by the leader of the Czech national team, Jana Zetek, who covered the distance in 24.97 seconds.
In women K 1 100m, there was nobody equal to the two-time world championship medallist Natalya Podolskaya, with the result of 20.49 seconds. Another representative of the Russian national team Kristina Kovnir (20.71 seconds) was second at the finish line, and the three-time European champion, Hungarian Dora Lucz, closed the top three with a result of 21.00 seconds.
In the wen C1, the bronze medal was won by the leader of the SUP movement, two-time world champion Andrei Kraytor (19.65 seconds). The second place was taken by the European champion and world championship medallist Zaza Nadiradze from Georgia (19.59 seconds), and the fastest canoeist was Artur Guliev from the national team of Uzbekistan, his result - 19.39 seconds.
The most exciting part of supersprint was races in the men K1 event, because athletes from the world's canoeing elite take part in them, and real stars rise to the podium. The champion of the Ageev Brothers Cup in this discipline was the Olympic champion of Tokyo 2020, Hungarian Sandor Totka, who passed the 100m distance in 17.54 seconds. The silver medal was won by the Latvian World Cup medallist Robert Akmens (17.60 seconds), and the bronze medal was won by the European and World Championships medallist, Lithuanian Arturas Seja, with the result of 17.80 seconds.
The official competition programme ended with the closing ceremony, at which the Guber Band, led by the inimitable Dmitry Guberniev, performed. After an incendiary concert, unique exhibition races began. The world's best kayaker-sprinter Shandor Totka distinguished himself in these races as well.
Hungarian kayaker in a crew with TV presenter Emma Hajiyeva confidently won the K-2 STAR MIX race, which was held at the Ageev Brothers Cup for the first time this year. The second was the two-time world champion Hungarian Balazh Birkas, together with the Olympic champion in figure skating Yekaterina Bobrova. Bronze medals were won by multiple world champion in rhythmic gymnastics Alexandra Soldatova and Portuguese kayaker Kevin Santos.
In the SUPer woman race (SUP-boards race), competed eminent athletes who are almost unfamiliar with SUP. However, they demonstrated not only enviable coordination on a shaky board, but also impressive speed. Four-time world champion in artistic swimming Varvara Subbotina, managed best of all and won gold. The second place was taken by the two-time world champion in artistic swimming Maya Gurbanberdieva, the third by the master of sports in rhythmic gymnastics Aziza Raupova.
The girls were followed by well-known Russian bloggers and entrepreneurs, who were also new to kayaking. However, they did not hesitate and demonstrated confident course on the water. The best in this race was the world champion in free diving and vice-president of the Free diving Federation Alexey Molchanov. The second was the founder of the CORREAS restaurant chain, marathon runner and ironman Ruslan Rajapov, the third - the multiple World and Russian MMA champion Alexander Zarubin .
Many supporters of rowing and canoeing were looking forward to the demonstration race-rematch between the representatives of rowing and canoeing. The first competition between them took place at the Ageev Brothers Cup in 2020, when rowers won. The four of kayakers (Vladislav Litovka, Vladislav Blintsov, Kirill Lyapunov and Oleg Gusev) and the rowing swing four (Grigory Shulepov , Alexander Stradaev, Ilya Ivanov and Dmitry Kuznetsov ) took part in a revenge race. This time the race turned out to be no less spectacular and intense. As in the last year, everything was decided in the last metres, when the swing four pulled out the victory, and the score has become 2: 0 in favour of the rowing representatives.
The women's kayak four from Belarus, silver medallists of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (Olga Khudenko, Marina Litvinchuk, Margarita Makhneva, Nadya Papok) went to the start to get even for the men against the women's swing four (Alexandra Golubenkova, Ekaterina Pankova, Elena Sergeeva, Victoria Zhirnova). The girls-kayakers managed to take revenge with the crazy support of the stands and win with a clear advantage.
The programme of the AAACUP was completed by colourful races of representatives of business structures on Dragon boats class (bright massive boats in the shape of dragons).
Sergey Medvedev
