It has been a year like no other for the International Canoe Federation with significant achievements and milestones on and off the water. In the first of our reviews of the season, we look at all the successes and memorable stories in Canoe Slalom.
From Paris with Love
Move aside, Mario and Luigi — there is a new player in town! The world of Canoe Slalom was eagerly waiting for the debut of the kayak cross at the Olympic Games, and it made a splash! As we demonstrated our readiness to innovate and adapt to the ever-changing sports landscape, athletes, fans, and the media were treated to a spectacle. Australia's Noemie Fox and New Zealand's Finn Butcher won historic Olympic golds in the new event, capturing the imagination of everyone at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.
It's Good to be Fox!
Where to begin? By now, there is a serious scarcity of adjectives to describe the Fox family's achievements this year. Olympic golds, awards, recognition - they have swooped it all. If there was any doubt about Jessica Fox's legendary status before Paris 2024, the Australian crushed all those thoughts by capturing the kayak and canoe titles in France. After becoming the most successful Canoe Slalom paddler in Olympic history with three golds, one silver and two bronzes, she claimed the women's canoe overall ICF World Cup crown. The 30-year-old also became the first athlete to win three individual gold medals over a single weekend at an ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup in Krakow. Noemie Fox's kayak cross title ensured that all three women's Olympic gold medals in Canoe Slalom will remain in the Fox family. While a flurry of accolades followed for the star sisters, their mother Myiam Fox-Jerusalmi won Paddle Australia's Coach of the Year. Their father Richard Fox was elected as the Chair of the ICF Canoe Slalom Committee.
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French Revolution
France’s Nicolas Gestin followed in the footsteps of Tony Estanguet by securing men’s canoe gold in front of a packed home crowd at the Olympic Games. It was the fifth time France claimed the men’s C1 title, with Estanguet winning three and Deni Gargaud Chanut taking the other. If not for a sensational performance from Italy’s Giovanni De Gennaro in sealing the men’s kayak crown, the hosts could have added another gold medal. Teenager Titouan Castryck bagged silver behind the Italian, while Angele Hug added to the tally by finishing second in the women's kayak cross.
World at their Feet
While all focus was on the Olympic Games this year, athletes showed immense skill, passion, and determination to continue fighting for honours. The ICF staged five successful World Cups in Augsburg, Prague, Krakow, Ivrea and La Seu, where the final was held. The overall World Cup titles went to Australia’s Jessica Fox in women’s canoe, Germany’s Ricarda Funk in women’s kayak, Great Britain’s Kimberley Woods in women’s kayak cross, Slovakia’s Matej Benus in men’s canoe, France’s Anatole Delassus in men’s kayak and Great Britain’s Joseph Clarke in men’s kayak cross. For Clarke and Woods, who won Paris 2024 medals, the victory was extra special as they retained their World Cup crowns from last year, underlining British dominance in the event.
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Short and Crisp
Short slalom was introduced as an official ICF event at the first-ever multi-discipline ICF Hangzhou Super Cup. As the name suggests, it is a shorter version of the classic slalom competition. The course was set in the middle of the classic course, with 12 gates, four of which will be upstream, compared to the 21 gates and six upstream in the former. With the races being more technically difficult and explosive, Camille Prigent and Marjorie Delassus of France took the first-ever short slalom titles in kayak and canoe, respectively. Among men, Slovenian Luka Bozic took canoe gold while Vit Prindis of Czechia claimed the kayak title.
