Hungarians Agnes Kiss, Zsoka Csikos and Janka Kiss picked up their third gold medals for the week and several countries made history as the 2023 International Canoe Federation Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships came to an end in Auronzo, Italy.
The Kiss’s and Csikos were standout performers for a Hungarian team that dominated the championships, finishing with 24 gold medals, well ahead of the next best performing nation, Germany, on five gold.
The final day saw 12 countries share gold, and history made for Iran, Ireland and The Netherlands as they made podium finishes.
Agnes Kiss had already won gold in the women’s C1 junior 500 and the C2 junior 500, and on Sunday added the C1 junior 200 title. Csikos, triumphant in the women’s U23 K4 500 and K1 U23 1000, became the women’s U23 K1 500 champion.
Janka Kiss was also a member of the triumphant women’s K4 500, won gold in the K2 U23 women’s 500, and then added the U23 mixed K2 500 alongside Zsombor Tamasi on Sunday.
There was also a second gold medal for Hungary’s Angelina Szegedi, adding the K1 junior 500 title to the K4 junior win.
Reka Nemes won Hungary’s 24th gold medal for the championships with an impressive victory in the women’s U23 K1 5000, while Dutch paddler Odette van Voorst finished second, earning The Netherlands its first ever medal in junior and U23 world titles.
Brazil broke through for a first gold of the championships with Filipe Vieira winning the men’s U23 C1 500, while Poland’s first gold medal came through Alex Borucki in the junior men’s K1 1000.
Host nation Italy celebrated its fourth gold medal for the week when Marco Tontodonati won the men’s junior C1 500, while Germany’s Linus Bange took the gold in men’s U23 C1 500. Spain’s Claudia Couto won her country’s third gold by triumphing in the women’s U23 C1 200, and then Jaime Duro picked up number four in the men’s C1 U23 5000.
Spain’s fifth gold medal, and third on the final day, came in the final race in the program when Martin Lopez won the men’s K1 junior 5000.
Kazakhstan’s Rufina Iskakova picked up gold in the women’s U23 C1 5000, her country’s second gold for the titles, while Iran’s Hadiyeh Kheirabaiasl became the first woman from her country to win a Junior or U23 medal when she finished third.
Denmark’s Thorbjorn Rask won the men’s K1 U23 5000, with Ireland’s Ronan Foley finishing second to give his country its first ever medal at this level of competition.
Canada’s Zoe Wojtyk was one of the most convincing winners of the day, taking the women’s junior C1 500 by more than one minute. Ukraine’s Mykyta Tessa won the men’s U23 C1 5000, while Great Britain’s Greta Roeser triumphed in the women’s K1 junior 5000.
Several other milestones were created during Auronzo, with Switzerland winning its first junior and U23 medal courtesy of Luca Pauper’s silver in the men’s K1 1000, while Krista Berzina won Latvia’s first women’s medals with silver in the junior K1 200, and gold in the K2 500 alongside Malanjia Camace.
And Bulgaria won its first gold for 24 years through Yoana Georgieva in the women’s K1 U23 200.
Hungary finished the championships as the dominant country, with 25 gold and 44 medals altogether, double Germany’s 22 tally, which included five gold. Italy and Spain both also finished with five gold.
A total of 26 countries from four continents won medals in Auronzo. Full results can be found here.
Pics by Bence Vekassy
