There was delight for some and despair for others as Augsburg staged a thrilling finale to the International Canoe Federation Canoe Slalom World Cup Series.
With double points on offer, the World Cup Final threw up plenty of drama as paddlers battled it out for the overall titles.
Here are the five things we learned from the past three days of competition.
Click here for live startlists and results from Augsburg
Woods hits purple patch
You’ll be hard pressed to find a more in-form female paddler than Kimberley Woods at the moment. The British star is on a hot streak and looks like she has the chance to win whenever she attacks a course. A first-ever kayak victory last week was followed by another as Woods captured the overall crown. Not satisfied with just that, Woods topped the podium again 24 hours later. On that occasion, Woods clinched canoe gold and made the most of the double points on offer to climb to the summit in the series. She threatened to pull off a hat-trick as she reached the women’s kayak cross final only to be faulted but she will be high on confidence after her string of sensational showings.
It's a family affair
Sticking with Great Britain, there are some exciting siblings that are making a big impact. Whether it’s Australia’s Jessica Fox and Noemie Fox, Czechia’s Gabriela Satkova and Martina Satkova, or Slovenia’s Ziga Lin Hocevar and Eva Alina Hocevar, Canoe Slalom can often feel like a family affair. Sam Leaver and Lois Leaver are now the latest siblings to make the big step up to the global stage. It was a grand day out for the Leaver family in Augsburg with Sam and Lois both picking up titles. Sam won his first-ever World Cup in kayak cross and secured the overall individual time-trials crown. Lois swept to the women’s kayak cross individual time-trials title and collected an overall bronze medal in the women’s kayak cross. Aged just 21 and 23, the Leaver siblings appear to have a bright future ahead of them.
Gestin is canoe king
If you were unsure who the current canoe king was before the weekend, then you will know now. Nicolas Gestin is the reigning Olympic champion and now the World Cup Series winner. The Frenchman produced an awesome performance in Augsburg as he made it three C1 victories on the trot. His hat-trick of wins also saw Gestin secure the overall crown, snatching it from compatriot Yohann Senechault. Heading into the World Cup Final, Senechault was out in front but he agonisingly missed out on a place in the final, allowing Gestin to seize his opportunity. What will be even more scary for his rivals is that his performances keep getting better, so it looks like he will be hard to beat when the World Championships begin later this month.
Funk’s resilience on show
To become a champion, you can’t just rely on your individual skills on the water. You also need to have strength of character and Germany’s Ricarda Funk has that in abundance. Funk demonstrated it last year when she bounced back from the heartbreak of missing out on a medal at the Olympics Games in Paris to become the World Cup Series winner in the women’s kayak. On the weekend, Funk suffered more disappointment as she failed to retain the women’s K1 overall title on home waters after missing out on a place in the final. But the German responded like a champion. Fuelled by that setback, Funk delivered a brilliant performance to win kayak cross gold and, in doing so, secured the overall crown to the delight of the German fans.
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Excitement builds for Sydney
The World Cup Series might be over for another year after the completion of the fifth and final leg, but the season is not over for many paddlers. Up next is the ICF Slalom World Championships in Sydney. Judging by the quality of the races on show and the drama over the past three days in Augsburg, we are in for a real treat in Australia with competition set to run from September 29 to October 4. The French and British teams will have high hopes of getting amongst the medals after wins for Titouan Castryck, Gestin and Camille Prigent and Sam Leaver, Woods and Jonny Dickson in the World Cup Series.
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