No athlete likes to be told when they are just 18 years old that they will never be able to compete in the sport they love ever again.

History is full of stories of competitors who have ignored the advice, only to end up on the sporting scrapheap. Every now and then an athlete proves the experts wrong, completing fairytale comebacks that become the stuff of legend.

On Friday on the calm flat waters of the Bascov Regatta Centre 23-year-old Cathrine Rask of Denmark defied the best medical opinions, calmly paddling her way to the U23 women’s K1 world title.

Tears flowed freely as Rask embraced her father after crossing the finish line, as five years of emotion spilled out. Six years since she was forced to withdraw during a K2 junior race with severe pain in her arms.

What she hoped would be a minor hiccup to her career turned out be anything but. The initial diagnosis was almost as painful as the injury itself.

She would never paddle marathon again. On a chilly whisper-quiet Friday afternoon in Romania she made a nonsense of the diagnosis.

“A big dream came true today,” Rask said after her win.

“I haven’t paddled since I was under 18 so it was a really nice comeback.

“I have had an operation, but sometimes I still feel a little pain, but I try to do my best. They actually told me I could never paddle marathon again, so it’s really nice to be back because this is what I want, this is the most fun.”

24 hours earlier Rask wondered if her bus had left the depot without her, struggling her way through a short-course race that left her underwhelmed. It left her deflated, but determined to throw everything at Friday’s longer race.

“Yesterday I did my best but I didn’t have a great short track,” she said.

“But today I thought I have to do my best, not let anything happen, and try and control the race.

“I was wondering if I could match everyone. It was U23, and I know the senior girls are really tough, I didn’t know many of the girls today so it was just nice to see how they raced and have a nice race with them.”

It was certainly a nice race for Cathrine Rask. For those left in her wake, maybe not so much.