The city of Halifax welcomed 642 athletes to the shores of Lake Banook, where five days of thrilling racing kept crowds captivated from start to finish.
Records were broken, history was made and new stars emerged at the International Canoe Federation Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Home paddlers delighted packed grandstands filled with family and friends, underdogs rose to the occasion, and the introduction of the mixed relay delivered unforgettable moments as 16 nations celebrated world titles.
Here are five things we learned:
Click here for all the results from Halifax
Hungary dominate the team events
Hungary topped the medal table with 11 gold medals across the three days of finals. The powerhouse nation made an immediate statement with five golds on the opening day, including four in the team boat, before adding one more on day two. On the final day, Hungary picked up five golds with their dominance in the double boats on full display. Zsolt Peter and David Barna started the winning run with victory in the men's junior canoe double 500m, before Milan Maszaros and Iliasz Mitropoulos claimed gold in the men's U23 C2 500m. Bianka Hofer and Vivien Lesko continued the hot streak in the women's junior kayak double 500m, while Peter Samu and Zalan Hidvegi capped off a remarkable session by winning the men's U23 K2 500m, giving Hungary four doubles gold medals in a single day. Lili Gazdag then ensured the celebrations continued. Unfazed by a false start and subsequent restart, she stormed to victory in the women's junior kayak single 200m to secure Hungary's fifth gold medal of the day.
Team Canada shines on home waters
Canada delivered on home expectations, producing an outstanding performance in Halifax with five world titles, two silver medals and two bronzes. Grace Theunissen and Victoria Tran gave the home crowd plenty to celebrate when they claimed the women's junior C2 500m world title, setting the tone for the weekend. Tran returned to the water alongside Abbigail Haines to win the women's junior C2 200m, sending the grandstands into celebration as Canada secured its second gold medal. The momentum continued on the final day. Isabel Lowry claimed victory in the women's junior C1 200m before Toskha Besharah added another gold in the women's U23 K1 200m. Lowry then joined Madeleine Beauregard, Haines and Tran in the women's junior canoe four 500m, where the quartet capped a memorable World Championships by claiming Canada's fifth gold medal.
Denmark doubles up in the mixed relay
The mixed relay added an exciting dimension to the World Championships, bringing together four endurance races that produced thrilling changeovers, dramatic finishes and passionate celebrations. Denmark emerged as the standout nation, winning two of the four mixed relay world titles on offer. The Danes swept both kayak relay events on the final day of competition. Rasmus Klitte and Frida Soborg comfortably won the mixed junior K1 5000m relay, finishing 13 seconds clear of Great Britain. Valdemar Jorgensen and Emily Bonney then closed the event in style by winning the mixed U23 K1 5000m relay, denying Germany a second relay gold.
Brazil’s rising stars announce themselves in style
Brazil enjoyed one of its most successful Junior and U23 World Championships, collecting five gold medals and one bronze, led by a trio of standout performers. Lorrane Souza made history by winning Brazil's first-ever medal in the women's junior canoe events. At just 16 years old, she held her own against older competitors to achieve a landmark moment for her country. Lucas Santos was one of the stars of Halifax 2026, claiming three gold medals. He first triumphed in the men's junior C1 500m ahead of Hungary's David Barna before adding the men's junior C1 200m title. His third gold came in the men's junior C4 500m alongside Rafick Santos, Joao Silva and Tailon Nascimento. Nascimento also claimed the men's junior C1 1000m title to complete an exceptional World Championships for Brazil.
New Zealand, Turkiye and Ireland celebrate historic firsts
History continued to be written in Halifax as New Zealand and Turkiye celebrated breakthrough junior world titles. New Zealand's Jacqueline Kennedy fought back from behind to win the women's junior K1 500m, securing her country's first-ever junior world title. Kennedy came from behind to shock the leaders and steal the title from right under their noses. Turkiye also celebrated a historic milestone after Rahmi Karahan, who had already claimed two bronze medals earlier in the event, secured his nation's first-ever junior world title. Sean Butterly also celebrated a major milestone as he became the first Irish paddler to win a junior world title. Butterly claimed the men’s junior K1 1000m title, becoming world champion across two disciplines, after also taking a gold in canoe marathon in 2025.
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