Hosts China is not taking the 2024 International Canoe Federation Hangzhou Super Cup lightly, with 43 athletes set to compete in the Canoe Marathon events.
That is just less than half of the 88-strong field from 16 countries set to compete in the first-ever multi-discipline Super Cup from October 11 to 13.
With a prize money of $350,000, competition will be fierce at the Fuyang Water Sports Centre.
Ying Wang, a bronze medallist at the 2019 ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships in Shaoxing, is among the Chinese paddlers competing in Hangzhou.
Hungary is sending the next biggest squad of 10 athletes, after a sensational outing at the World Championships in Metkovic a week ago.
Two-time world champion Balazs Adolf, who also specialises in Canoe Sprint, Vanda Kiszli, Panna Csepe and Adrian Boros, who all won medals in Croatia, will be part of Hungary's setup in China.
Hungary also have Lili Sara Matkovics, the U23 women’s C1 world champion, and the U23 C1 world silver medallist from 2022 Sebestyen Simon,
Five-time world champion Manuel Antonio Campos, who won silver in Metkovic, headlines Spain’s nine-member team along with another familiar face and world champion Manuel Garrido.
More Metkovic medallists like Jaime Duro, who won canoe double silver and K1 short-distance bronze medallist Ivan Alonso, will ensure Spain will battle for titles in Hangzhou.
South Africa, with five athletes, will pin their hopes on Paris 2024 Olympians Hamish Lovemore and Andrew James Birkett, with the former recently winning K1 short-distance silver.
Denmark will have Mads Brandt Pedersen, who clinched the men’s K1 crown for the first time in Metkovic along with Philip Knudsen, the reigning men’s K1 U23 world champion.
Ukraine’s Liudmyla Babak, who won her seventh successive world title in the women’s canoe single long-distance in Metkovic, will lead the four-member squad that also has Olena Tsyhankova, women’s world C1 short-distance bronze medallist.
Sweden’s Melina Andersson will have another chance to battle it out with Kiszli once again after she beat the Hungarian in Croatia to the world title last week in a sensational women’s K1 final.
Argentina, Germany, Ireland, Norway and Serbia will all have one athlete each while Czechia, Portugal, Poland and France all have two each.
ICF Canoe Marathon Committee Chair Ruud Heijselaar said: “Canoe Marathon, Canoe Polo, Canoe Sprint and Canoe Slalom will be an impressive showcase of canoe sport, highlighting the versality and skill required in each discipline.
“It will showcase the different aspects of canoe sport and technique in paddling, from endurance to teamwork, speed and agility.
“The Super Cup could be a true celebration of canoe sport, bringing together these diverse disciplines in a single competition.”
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