The International Canoe Federation Canoe Slalom World Cup Series will reach its climax in Augsburg, Germany this week as paddlers bid to become overall title winners.
After stops in La Seu, Pau, Prague and Tacen, the five-leg series will conclude in Augsburg from September 4 to 7.
As well as looking to finish the season on a high, many paddlers also have the opportunity to capture series crowns across kayak, canoe, kayak cross individual and kayak cross.
Double points will be on offer at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup Final in Augsburg, meaning a victory will be worth 200 points and could make a huge difference to the overall standings.
Click here for startlists and live results from Augsburg
Here’s how things stand ahead of Augsburg.
Men’s Kayak
It’s been a two-horse race all season with France’s Titouan Castryck and Anatole Delassus battling it out for top spot. But things took a big turn in Castryck’s favour in Tacen last weekend. After three successive silver medals to keep on Castryck’s coattails, Delassus suffered a blow when he failed to make it to the final for the first time. There were no such issues for Castryck as he swept to victory. It was his third win in four World Cups, putting him 37 points clear at the top. Delassus will now be seeking to respond as he aims to retain the overall title in K1. Other paddlers in the mix are Poland’s Mateusz Polaczyk, France’s Benjamin Renia, Austria’s Felix Oschmautz and Czechia’s Jakub Krejci.
Women’s Kayak
Germany’s Ricarda Funk remains the leader in this race, but she is facing pressure to hang on to her crown. The defending champion was the quickest in the heats in Tacen but a two-second penalty cost her a place on the podium. This opened the door for Evy Leibfarth of the United States, Slovenia’s Eva Alina Hocevar and Great Britain’s Kimberley Woods to close the gap. They all finished on the podium with Woods climbing to third after winning her first-ever World Cup title in K1. Leibfarth followed up her triumph in Prague with a bronze in Tacen to get within 12 points of Funk. Hocevar is in fourth after clinching silver on home waters. Great Britain’s Lois Leaver has also kept herself in the frame with a seventh-place finish.
Men’s Canoe
The French team continue to maintain their grip on this category with Yohann Senechault leading the way. Senechault has kept his nose in front courtesy of his silver in Tacen - his third successive World Cup medal but his fellow countryman Nicolas Gestin is starting to breathe down his neck. Gestin backed up his victory in Prague with another title in Tacen as he got the better of Senechault. The reigning Olympic champion is now 34 points behind Senechault in third position. Sandwich between them is another Frenchman in Mewen Debliquy who came fourth in Tacen. Outside the three Frenchmen, Poland’s Kacper Sztuba, Spain’s Miquel Trave and Great Britain’s Ryan Wesley are worth keeping an eye on in Augsburg.
Women’s Canoe
For the past two years, Australia’s Jessica Fox has captured the overall crown in this category. But there will be a new name on the trophy this year with Fox withdrawing from the final two World Cups in Tacen and Augsburg after undergoing an operation to remove a tumour from her kidney. Spain’s Miren Lazkano missed the chance to pull away at the top of the standings after ranking in 18th place in Tacen. The Spaniard leads by 19 points from Fox and Slovakia’s Zuzana Pankova who came unstuck in the final, finishing in 11th position. Leibfarth is one point behind Pankova while Woods and Ukraine’s Viktoriia Us are two points further back after getting on the podium in Tacen.
Men’s Kayak Cross Individual
A second straight silver medal has ensured Czechia’s Krejci keeps his position at the summit. Krejci has been superb in this format, winning the title in Pau before finishing second in both Prague and Tacen. Great Britain’s Sam Leaver is trying desperately to knock him off his perch as he bagged bronze on Sunday, but he needs to overturn a 21-point margin. France’s Benjamin Reina is also in the mix after finishing fourth in Tacen, while Switzerland’s Jan Rohrer, Spain’s Manuel Ochoa and Czechia’s Matyas Novak have shown great pace throughout this season and will seek to finish on a high in Augsburg.
Women’s Kayak Cross Individual
It is very difficult to bet against France’s Camille Prigent coming out on top here. Prigent has been sensational in the time trials, finishing in the top two in all four World Cups. She sealed her second victory of the season in Tacen to increase her lead at the top to 52 points. Leibfarth is her nearest challenger as she picked up bronze in Slovenia, while Germany’s Funk and Great Britain’s Woods have also been consistent this season and will be aiming to finishing in the top three in the series standings.
Men’s Kayak Cross
France’s Mathurin Madore boosted his hopes of securing this overall title after picking up his first victory of the season. Madore reduced the gap to 14 points on leader Rohrer who exited in the quarterfinals in Tacen – his worst result in the event this year. Ochoa was Rohrer’s closest challenger, but he’s slipped to third after receiving a RAL in the heats in Slovenia. Great Britain’s Jonny Dickson is the only other paddler in three figures as he attempts to overcome Rohrer.
Women’s Kayak Cross
As well as impressing in the individual time-trials, Prigent is going strong in the head-to-head format. Prigent added 30 points to her total in Tacen to move level on points with leader Tereza Kneblova of Czechia who failed to advance from the heats. There is also no separating Woods and Spain’s Maialen Chourraut who are both locked on 106 points after making semi-finals in Slovenia.
Full coverage of the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup can be viewed on the Planet Canoe YouTube channel.
Join Planet Canoe's YouTube channel for €9.99 per month to unlock members-only content and features
Read YouTube's frequently asked questions for more details.
Related links
