Great Britain confirmed itself as the global powerhouse of kayak cross racing with another golden double at the International Canoe Federation Canoe Slalom World Cup Final in La Seu, Spain.
Not only did Joseph Clarke and Mallory Franklin take the men’s and women’s gold on Sunday, but Clarke and Kimberley Woods also successfully defended their overall World Cup titles for another year.
Franklin proved the surprise packet once again in the women’s kayak cross final.
After several seasons where the Olympic canoe silver medallist seemed to treat kayak cross as an afterthought, Franklin won gold at the final two World Cups of the season to finish second overall behind Woods.
“I really feel like I’m settling into kayak cross now,” said Franklin.
“I feel pretty tired and pretty drenched, but very happy to have won again.
“It was such a tough fight at the start, which is always difficult when everyone is clashing.
“I really tried to get a fast start, but then you have to defend the first upstream, so it can be quite complicated.”
Woods, who won bronze when kayak cross made its Olympic debut in Paris this year, paid tribute to her teammate.
“Hats off to Mallory, I couldn’t catch her,” said Woods.
“I put a lot of work into kayak cross this year, so to win the overall title for a second year in a row is pretty satisfying.”
French Olympic silver medallist Angele Hug finished third in Sunday’s race, while Czech Tereza Kneblova ranked third overall for the season.
The big surprise on Sunday was the early exit of the Australian Olympic champion, Noemie Fox.
In the men’s race, it was Clarke who ended up with the win, after Poland’s Mateusz Polaczyk crossed the line first but was disqualified for not rounding a gate properly.
The result elevated Clarke to the gold medal, and also enabled him to go one point ahead of Brazil’s Pedro Goncalves to snatch the overall title for 2024.
“What a great way to end the season, to win today and to take the overall win – I’m speechless,” Clarke said.
“After last weekend I said to Kimberley that wouldn’t it be great if we could go to La Seu and do the same as we did last year, and now we’ve done it.
“Our team has become so strong because we are always pushing each other, and I think that shows in our results.”
Spain’s David Llorente took the silver, while Goncalves, who came into the weekend as the overall points leader, took the bronze. France’s Mathurin Madore dropped from second to third overall.
The final day of competition wrapped up the 2024 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup season.
The 2025 season is set to start where this season finished, in La Seu in June, with five World Cups scheduled for the year.
The 2025 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships will be held at the Sydney 2000 Olympic venue in Penrith, Australia, while the junior and under 23 world titles will be up for grabs in Foix, France.
For the results and competition schedule, click here.
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