Czech Jiri Prskavec sent his home crowd into raptures and Australia’s Jessica Fox held on by her fingernails to both claim canoe slalom gold and wrap up the overall season titles on the final day of competition at the ICF world cup in Prague on Sunday.
Fox once again proved her dominance of women’s canoeing, taking the C1 gold medal to add to the K1 she won 24 hours earlier. It also meant that, like 2018, she won both the K1 and C1 overall world cup titles.
But she only just held on to win on Sunday, positing a time 0.04 seconds quicker than Great Britain’s Kimberley Woods in the C1. Czech Tereza Fiserova was third.
“I think every race has been pretty tough and challenging, and I think after yesterday’s win, it was such a big win for me, so I wanted to come back today and go through the process again and stay grounded,” she said.
“It wasn’t perfect, and it was a fight to the finish. My goal is always to put down my best runs, not win the overall world cup, that’s a bonus of doing consistent races.
“It wasn’t the perfect season like last year, but I’ve learned so much from every race that I’ve done. The competition in the C1 category is getting better and better, the girls are hungry and improving a lot, it makes me really proud to be in this category.”
Fox finished well ahead in the overall standings, finishing with 312 points to Brazil’s Ana Satila on 225 to make it three C1 titles in a row. Fiserova was third on 222 overall points.
After 14 world cup finals without a win, Jiri Prskavec sizzled down his home course in front of a capacity crowd to take his first world cup title in three years, relegating Czech teammate Vit Prindis to second, and Frenchman Boris Neveu to third.
“It’s finally happened, it took me three years, but it was amazing to win in front of my home crowd, where I grew up,” Prskavec said.
“It feels amazing, I have grandmothers and Aunts and so many people from my family here, so it’s special that I gave them something back.
“It also feels special to be overall winner again. I don’t know how many other paddlers have won two in a row, so it’s a special moment as well.”
Germany’s Sebastian Schubert is the only other athlete since 2000 to successfully defend a men’s K1 overall world cup title.
Slovenia’s Peter Kauzer was second and Prindis third.
RESULTS
WOMEN’S C1
- FOX Jessica (AUS) 113.95 (2 seconds in penalties)
- WOODS Kimberley (GBR) 113.99 (2)
- FISEROVA Tereza (CZE) 118.39 (2)
MEN’S K1
- PRSKAVEC Jiri (CZE) 90.67
- PRINDIS Vit (CZE) 93.20
- NEVEU Boris (FRA) 94.18
OVERALL WORLD CUP FINAL RESULTS
WOMEN’S C1
- FOX Jessica (AUS) 312 points
- SATILA Ana (BRA) 225
- FISEROVA Tereza (CZE) 222
MEN’S K1
- PRSKAVEC Jiri (CZE) 319 points
- KAUZER Peter (SLO) 266
- PRINDIS Vit (CZE) 262
