There was no stopping Mads Brandt Pedersen of Denmark and Melina Andersson of Sweden, with the duo putting on a show to claim the kayak single long distance titles as Canoe Marathon concluded at The World Games Chengdu 2025.
Credit to the DJ at the Xinglong Lake Hubin Arena playing The Final Countdown, adding a different dimension during the final portage of the men's and women's finals.
In the end, it came down to Pedersen and South Africa's Hamish Lovemore, as expected, with yet another exciting sprint finish.
However, the Dane's burst of pace towards the end was on a different level. Such was the swagger that Pedersen stopped paddling 50m before the finish, knowing he had done it.
The duo were together from start to finish, saving fuel and swapping positions, but Pedersen had the last laugh, crossing the line first in 1:35:28.44.
“I think we had a superb final all the way to the finish. It was tough, in the beginning, there were a lot of waves. I also felt a bit tired after yesterday. As we came further into the race, I felt stronger,” Pedersen said.
“We had a good sprint, and I opened up towards the last two hundred metres. We were going head-to-head and luckily; I won in the end. I have been training a lot at home, especially to go hard like this.
“You can never 100 per cent be prepared for the race. The conditions can change quickly. You also cannot know how your competitors will perform in the race. But I am happy to come away with the medal.”
Lovemore, despite a gargantuan effort, settled for a silver medal in 1:35:39.17.
Until halfway through the race, the duo, along with Hungarian Noel Balint and German Nico Paulfer, were the quartet leading the rest of the athletes, but Portugal's Jose Ramalho and Frenchman Jeremy Candy managed to power through.
Ramalho and Candy ensured an exciting battle for bronze, with the former once again returning home as a double medallist at the Games.
After the last portage, Ramalho took the lead and maintained the momentum to bag bronze in 1:36:25.10.
After the short distance title on the first day of The World Games, Andersson demonstrated why she is the new queen of Canoe Marathon with yet another dominant performance.
The Swede and Hungarian Vanda Kiszli were together for much of the race until portage six.
That's when Andersson pulled away after a smooth transition, and there was no looking back after that.
What was impressive was the 26-year-old's smooth strokes and technique in the final stretch, sealing a famous double in 1:48:11.11.
“I think the big waves made the difference today. I am very used to these conditions, and I was still struggling a bit, so I think it was very hard,” Andersson said.
“Vanda and I worked well together for most laps, and I just felt really strong, but because of the waves, I wanted to have a lot of time in the two last portages to make room for mistakes. That's why I decided to break free.”
Fatigue crept in for the experienced Kiszli, but she was still no match for the rest of the field.
After two gold medals three years ago in Birmingham, the Hungarian still put on a phenomenal effort to bag two silvers, finishing today's race in 1:49:54.75.
The race for bronze kept the spectators on their feet until the very end with Pernille Hostrup of Denmark, Maria Santos of Portugal, Katerina Milova of Czechia, and Eva Barrios of Spain all within touching distance of each other.
After the last portage, it was down to Hostrup and Santos, but the Dane managed to pick up speed and storm to bronze in 1:51:16.60.
Copyright by IWGA/The World Games 2025.
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