The 2023 International Canoe Federation slalom world cup season will go down to the wire this week at the 2024 Olympic venue in Paris, with double points up for grabs and the race for individual glory wide open in all six events.

Just one point separates Czech Vit Prindis and Italy’s Giovanni de Gennaro in the men’s K1, while three points lies between Australia’s Jessica Fox and Germany’s Elena Lilik in the women’s K1. Fox and Lilik also fill the top two positions in the women’s C1, although they are separated by 38 points.

In the men’s C1 Slovakia’s Matej Benus goes into the world cup final with 192 points, with Slovenia’s Luka Bozic second on 178 points.

The winner of each race this week will earn 120 points, which opens the door for several athletes in each category to leapfrog up the leaderboard. In the men’s kayak cross Great Britain’s Joe Clarke, who took his third world crown last week, leads Switzerland’s Jan Rohrer by 27 points.

Italy’s Stefanie Horn, in her first season contesting kayak cross, leads the women’s competition on 140 points. Great Britain’s Kimberley Woods, who became world champion for the first time last week, sits second on 119 points.

Just two weeks after locking away Olympic quotas for their countries, many athletes will take a further step this week in their quest to compete at the 2024 Games. The Paris world cup, the final international slalom competition for the year, is part of the selection process for a handful of national federations.

The 2023 ICF Slalom World Cup final at Vaires-Sur-Marne begins on Thursday and runs through to Sunday.

2023 WORLD CUP STANDINGS (120 points available to world cup final winners)

MEN’S C1

1. BENUS Matej (SVK)  192
2. BOZIC Luka        (SLO)  178
3. SAVSEK Benjamin (SLO) 157

WOMEN’S C1

1. FOX Jessica (AUS) 214
2. LILIK Elena (GER) 176
3. US Viktoriia (UKR) 153

MEN’S K1

1. PRINDIS Vit                  (CZE) 194
2. DE GENNARO Giovanni (ITA) 193
3. CLARKE Joseph (GBR) 173

WOMEN’S K1

1. FOX Jessica  (AUS) 188
2. LILIK Elena                (GER)  185
3. ZWOLINSKA Klaudia (POL) 162

KAYAK CROSS MEN

1. CLAKRE Joseph (GBR) 167
2. ROHRER Jan (SUI) 140
3. MARX Dimitri (SUI) 107

KAYAK CROSS WOMEN

1. HORN Stefanie (ITA) 140
2. WOODS Kimberley (GBR) 119
3. SATILA Ana (BRA) 104