Isabel Lowry led a Canadian charge as she claimed two gold medals to wrap up a hat-trick of titles at the International Canoe Federation Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships in Montemor-o-Velho, Portugal. 

It was a memorable final day for the Canadian team and the Pan American continent, with Yarisleidis Cirilo Duboys of Cuba and Jonas Ecker of the United States grabbing golds to heighten excitement on the road to the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028. 

Portugal’s long wait for a gold medal also came to an end as Gustavo Goncalves and Pedro Casinha triumphed on home waters. 

Click here for startlists and live results from Montemor-o-Velho 

After winning the women’s canoe double junior 200m title with Amelie Laliberte yesterday, Lowry continued her fine form today. 

Lowrey posted a time of 49.31 to win the women’s canoe single junior 200m title, beating Ukraine’s Yelyzaveta Vozniuk who crossed in 49.54 for silver and US paddler Audrey Harper who finished in 49.57 for bronze. 

It wasn’t long before Lowry was back on the water and delivering another gold as she steered Canada to a comeback victory in a thrilling women’s canoe four junior 500m final. 

Hungary led the way before Lowry, Laliberte, Grace Theunissen and Madeleine Beauregard found an extra gear. 

The Canadian quartet took the win in 1:56.58 as Lowry completed her hat-trick of gold medals, while Ukraine placed second in 1:58.62 and Hungary dropped to third in 1:58.69. 

Canada C4 canoe sprint Montemor 2025

“It feels surreal,” said Lowry. 

“It’s so amazing to have these feelings and to share it with my family and community from my country so it’s great. 

“I was feeling confident coming into today. The competition for the 200m was insane but the C2 gold yesterday definitely helped me. 

“There was only a 20-minute turnover for the C4, but it turned out to be awesome.” 

Toshka Besharah was another gold medallist for Canada as she captured the women’s kayak single U23 200m crown in 41.76. 

Italy’s Lucrezia Zironi claimed silver in 42.46, with Hungary’s Dorina Decsi finishing in 42.73 for bronze. 

There was more success for North America when US kayaker Ecker swept to the men’s K1 U23 500m title. 

Less than 24 hours after defending his men’s K1 U23 1000m crown, Ecker produced another emphatic performance to win over 500m in 1:41.92. 

He was almost a second quicker than AIN paddler Dzianis Yermolenka who clocked 1:42.89 for silver, while Olympic medallist Pierre van der Westhuyzen of Australia clinched bronze in 1:42.91. 

Jonas Ecker kayak sprint USA Montemor 2025 gold 2

“It’s incredible,” said Ecker. 

“Coming into this event, my goal was the 1000m but having made the final at the Olympics in Paris for the K2 500m and considering the times I have been able to do in training this year I was excited to see what I could do in the 500m. 

“This gives me a lot of confidence going into the senior World Championships in Milan.” 

Cuba’s Cirilo Duboys secured another gold for the Americas when she came out on top in the much-anticipated women’s C1 U23 200m final. 

Facing pressuring from in-form Spanish paddler Viktoriia Yarchevska, Cirilo Duboys came flying out of the traps and refused to relent. 

The Cuban Olympic bronze medallist held firm to win in 47.25 as Yarchevska claimed silver in 48.08 and AIN’s Ekaterina Shliapnikova bagged bronze in 48.47. 

“This race was very important for me,” said Cuba. 

“This was my first World Championships in U23 so it’s great, it feels the best.  

“I will continue my preparations here for Milan and we will see.” 

Yarisleidis Cirilo Duboys Cuba canoe sprint Montemor 2025 gold

The biggest roar of the day came when Goncalves and Casinha delighted the Portuguese crowd with a gold medal. 

Goncalves and Casinha were roared home as they won the men’s kayak double U23 500m title in 1:33.12. 

Italy’s Francesco Lanciotti and Nicolo Volo earned silver in 1:34.01 as Slovenia’s Matevz Manfreda and Anze Pikon finished in 1:34.13 for bronze. 

“This means a lot racing on our home turf with this amazing energy having so many people here supporting us, it’s incredible,” said Casinha. 

“The crowd was full of energy, and this was transmitted to us through every paddle and every emotion that we felt. I really believe the crowd helped us bring gold.” 

Czechia, Germany, Hungary, AIN, Slovakia and Spain also tasted success on the final day in Montemor-o-Velho. 

There was a dead heat in the women’s K2 U23 500m final as Slovakia and Germany both won gold. 

Slovakians Reka Bugar and Bianka Sidova and Germans Lena Roehlings and Enja Roesseling both clocked 1:47.34 to share top spot. 

Hungary’s Aliz Gombas and Hanna Peto also pushed the Slovakian and German pairings all the way to take bronze in 1:47.78. 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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There was more joy for Germany’s Caroline Heuser at the Portuguese venue as she teamed up with Marleen Sits to win women’s K2 junior 500m gold. 

After winning the women’s K1 junior 500m crown yesterday, Heuser joined forces with Sits to triumph in 1:49.21. 

Hungary’sHanna Havadi Hollo and Hanna Gloria Acelos came second in 1:50.00 with Czechia’s Barbora Janotova and Zuzana Hanusova placing third in 1:52.76. 

The men’s K1 junior 500m final was a three-way battle that ended with victory for Czechia’s Tomas Kapoun. 

Spain’s Ruben Escudero set the early pace before being overtaken by Hungary’s Marcell Gazdag and then Kapoun in the closing stages. 

A large surge saw Kapoun triumph in 1:44.14 as Gazdag crossed in 1:44.62 for silver and Escudero had to settle for bronze in 1:45.65. 

There was success for Italy in the women’s K1 junior 200m as Sofia Zucca emerged victorious. 

The junior European champion triumphed in 43.30 as Ukraine’s Kseniia Tsompel sealed silver in 44.11 and Hungary’s Anna Meszaros picked up bronze in 44.47. 

The most comprehensive victory of the day was by Spain’s Pablo Crespo and Daniel Grijalba. 

The Spanish pair were utterly dominant, powering clear to win the men’s C2 U23 500m title in 1:43.31. 

Brazil's Gabriel Assuncao Nascimento and Mateus Nunes Bastos Dos Santos secured silver in 1:45.99, while bronze went to Ukraine’s Volodymyr Savchyn and Taras Kuzyk in 1:46.14. 

Tomas Kapoun Czechia kayak sprint Montemor 2025

AIN quartet Yahor Auchynnikau and Vadzim Lychou came strong in the final 250m to win the men’s C2 junior 500m title. 

Auchynnikau and Lychou clocked 1:49.16 for victory, holding firm against China’s Haozhe Zhang and Junhang Mao who clinched silver in 1:49.56. 

Spain’s Anton Lagares and Raul Fernandez Busto also finished strongly to win bronze in 1:50.05. 

There was no stopping Hungary’s Zoltan Ivan Mircse and Vilmos Szabo as they stormed to the men’s K2 junior 500m title. 

Mircse and Szabo blew away the field to win in 1:34.22 as AIN duo Emil Abalmasau and Heorhi Varazhun finished 1.77 behind them in second in 1:35.99. 

Germany’s Tim Ole Methner and Linus Engeln claimed bronze in 1:36.85. 

AIN paddlers Katsiaryna Semiantsova, Inna Nedelkina, Yeva Danilchuk and Hanna Naletska battled to the women’s C4 U23 500m crown. 

It was a tight race with the AIN quartet winning it in 1:54.74, edging Hungary who crossed in 1:55.58 for silver, while Uzbekistan collected bronze in 1:56.75. 

Pictures by Bence Vekassy

Full coverage of the ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships can be viewed on the Planet Canoe YouTube channel. 

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