Portugal’s Fernando Pimenta and Jose Ramalho thrilled a huge home crowd by winning the final gold medal on offer as the 2022 ICf Canoe Marathon World Championships came to an end in Ponte de Lima on Sunday.
Spain picked up two gold medals on the final day, with Diego Romero and Manuel Campos winning a third consecutive C2 world title, while Spain’s Tania Fernandez and Tania Alvarez ended a run of minor medals with gold in the women’s K2.
It was the second gold medal for the championships for the two-time canoe sprint Olympic medalist Pimenta, after his gold in the short course marathon on Thursday.
“This win is a little bit better, because I knew how important it was for Jose, because it is his first,” Pimenta said.
“I have six world titles, but it is also important for me in my own village in front of my own people, my family and my friends.”
Ramalho celebrated his first K2 gold medal, and said he and Pimenta felt they had the race in their control throughout.
“We knew we were doing really well in our training sessions, and we knew lap after lap we were in control and growing in confidence,”Ramalho said.
“And when we knew there were only four in the front group we knew we had it.”
Spain’s Miguel Llorens and Alberto Plaza won silver, with Norwegian brothers Eivind and Amund Vold taking the bronze.
Spain’s Tania Fernandez and Tania Alvarez finally broke through for their maiden world title after winning bronze and two silver at the past three marathon world championships.
The Spaniards made their decisive move on the final portage, putting enough distance between themselves and two-time world champions Renata Csay and Zsofia Czellai-Voros of Hungary.
“It was a tough race, the Hungarians are very strong, and Melina has been having a great weekend. We have two silvers and a bronze, so we really wanted this gold medal,” Alvarez said.
“I was a bit frustrated, we had three boats and three medals, but then when everyone else caught up we knew we had a big fight again. But we knew we were strong.”
Paddling legend Csay picked up her 31st ICF world championship medal, on a day when her son, Bruno Kolozsvari, won gold in the men’s junior K2. Sweden’s Melina Andersson created history, partnering with Johanna Johansson to take the bronze, and in doing so becoming the first athlete to win four medals at a single world championships.
Spain’s first gold medal came in the men’s C2, with Diego Romero and Manuel Campos winning their third consecutive title.
For most of the race Romero and Campos raced alongside fellow Spaniards Fernado Busto and Diego Miguens, before racing clear in the final sprint to maintain the dominance of the men’s C2.
“Both the Spanish boats collaborated to the end, and then we fought out on the last lap for the gold medal, so we were very happy to finish on top,” Campos said.
Busto and Miguens took silver, while Poland’s Mateusz Borgiel and Mateusz Zuchora took the bronze.
The opening gold of the day went to Hungary’s Bruno Kolozsvari and Oliver Varga in the men’s junior K2, giving Kolozsvari his second gold of the world titles Silver went to Argentina’s Baltazar Itria and Julian Salinas, while fellow Argentinians Vicente Vergauven amd Joaquin Catalano took the bronze.
Spain won the Nations Cup as the most successful nation during the world championships, ahead of Hungary and Portugal.
RESULTS
K2 JUNIOR MEN
- VARGA/KOLOZSVARI (HUN) 01:34:32.36
- ITRIA/SALINAS (ARG) 01:34:33.69
- VERGAUVEN/CATALANO (ARG) 01:34:40.36
C2 MEN
- CAMPOS/ROMERO (ESP) 02:01:10.75
- BUSTO/MIGUENS (ESP) 02:01:15.34
- BORGIEL/ZUCHORA (POL) 02:01:42.03
K2 WOMEN
- FERNANDEZ/ALVAREZ (ESP) 01:58:09.56
- CSAY/CZELLAI-VOROS (HUN) 01:58:19.10
- ANDERSSON/JOHANSSON (SWE) 01:58:32.87
K2 MEN
- PIMENTA/RAMALHO (POR) 01:58:04.39
- LLORENS/PLAZA (ESP) 01:58:10.40
- VOLD/VOLD (NOR) 01:58:15.43
Pics by Balint Vekassy
