Olympic champion Danuta Kozák (HUN, K1W 500m) showed phenomenal form to out-pull a world class field two months ahead of the Rio showdown as the first of three 2016 ICF Canoe Sprint World Cups continued in Duisburg, Germany.
The 29-year-old Hungarian – who has been awarded every honour possible in a nation fanatical about the sport – clearly had a point to prove following a lacklustre 2015 by her impeccable standards. That she did in no uncertain terms.
After a gradual but progressive start, Kozák stamped her authority on the race at the mid-point and started to edged away from the rest with every stroke there after.
Fellow Olympic gold medallist (K1W 200m), Lisa Carrington (NZL) took silver, but despite her best efforts in the latter stages was unable to encroach on Kozák’s commanding lead.
Inna Osipenko-Rodomska (AZE) added to her medal tally with bronze following a silver behind Carrington (gold) in the K1 W 200m on Saturday.
A new burst of challengers emerged in the K1M 200m with Manfredi Rizza (ITA) taking control of the race shooting his boat to the line to take his first world cup gold.
France’s Maxime Beaumont finished with silver, whilst Britain’s Liam Heath and Alekseja Rumjancevs (LAT) both stopped-the-clock at 34.582 and shared the third step on the podium in a race that saw the top seven all go under the 35-second mark.
Ivan Shtyl (RUS) started the season well winning the C1M 200m, the talented Russian will be aiming to upgrade his Olympic bronze from London later in the year.
Ukraine’s Dmytro Ianchuk and Taras Mishchuk pulled to victory in the C2M 1000m; their teammates, Oleh Kukharyk (K1M 500m) and the K4W 500m crew also won gold.
The Australian quartet of Kenny Wallace, Riley Fitzsimmons, Jabob Clear, Jordan Wood made a late surge to win the K4M 1000m and showed their intentions of defending Olympic gold later in the season.
Moldavia’s Serghei Tarnovschi rounded out the podium proceedings by securing gold in the C1M 500m.
Bulgaria had a successful afternoon’s racing with two gold (K4 W 200m and C4M 200m) and one silver in the C2W 500m when Nadzeya Makarchanka and Alena Nazdrova were just beaten to the line by their Russian counterparts Irina Andreeva and Olesia Romasenko.
Lithuania won the remaining battle of quartets in an explosive K4M 200m when the team of Arturas Seja, Aurimas Lankas, Edvinas Ramanauskas, Ignas Navakiskas covered the distance in an astonishing 29.859.
K1 W 500m
Gold – Danuta Kozák (HUN)
Silver – Lisa Carrington (NZL)
Bronze – Inna Osipenko-Rodomska (AZE)
K1 M 200m
Gold – Manfredi Rizza (ITA)
Silver – Maxime Beaument (FRA)
Bronze – Liam Heath (GBR) SAME TIME
Bronze – Alekseja Rumjancevs (LAT) SAME TIME
C1 M 200m
Gold – Ivan Shtyl (RUS)
Silver – Alfonso Benavides (ESP)
Bronze – Zaza Nadiradze (GEO)
C2 M 1000m
Gold – Dmytro Ianchuk and Taras Mishchuk (UKR)
Silver – Leonid Carp and Stefan Strat (ROU)
Bronze – Jaroslav Radon and Filip Dvorak (CZE)
K4 M 1000m
Gold – Kenny Wallace / Riley Fitzsimmons / Jabob Clear / Jordan Wood (AUS)
Silver – Ivan Tsurannau / Spartak Bazkou / Andrei Tsarykovich / Ihar Baicheuski (BLR)
Bronze – Kirill Lyapunov / Vasily Pogreban / Roman Anoshkin / Oleg Zhestkov (RUS)
K1 M 500m
Gold – Oleh Kukharyk (UKR)
Silver – Mikita Borykau (BLR)
Bronze – Aleksey Mochalov (UZB)
C1 M 500m
Gold – Serghei Tarnovschi (MDA)
Silver – Jan Vandrey (GER)
Bronze – Sergey Yemelyanov (KAZ)
K4 W 500m
Gold – Mariya Povkh/ Svitlana Akhadova / Anastasiia Toddrova /Inna Hryshcun (UKR)
Silver – Marharyta Makhneva / Nadzeya Liapeshka / Volha Khudzenka / Maryna Litvinchuk (BLR)
Bronze – Marta Walczykiewicz / Edyta Dzieniszewska Kierkla / Karolina Naja / Ewelina Wojnarowska (POL)
C2W 500m
Gold – Irina ANDREEVA / Olesia ROMASENKO (RUS)
Silver – Nadzeya MAKARCHANKA / Alena NAZDROVA (BLR)
Bronze – Darnya PIKULEVA / Kamila BOBR (BLR)
C4M 200m
Gold – Dzmitry RABCHANKA / Dzianis MAKHLAI / Hleb SALADUKHA / Aliaksandr VAUCHETSKI (BLR)
Silver – Vitaliy VERGELES / Denys KAMERYLOV / Denys KOVALENKO / Eduard SHEMETYLO (UKR)
Bronze – Carlo TACCHINI / Nicolae CRACIUN / Sergiu CRACIUN / Luca INCOLLINGO (ITA)
K4 W 200m
Gold – Marharyta MAKHNEVA / Nadzeya LIAPESHKA / Volha KHUDZENKA / LITVINCHUK, Maryna (BLR)
Silver – Mariia KICHASOVA / Mariya POVKH / Anastasiia TODOROVA / Inna HRYSHCHUN (UKR)
Bronze – Jaimee LOVETT / Caitlin RYAN / Aimee FISHER / Kayla IMRIE (NZL)
K4 M 200m
Gold – Arturas SEJA / Aurimas LANKAS / Edvinas RAMANAUSKAS / Ignas NAVAKAUSKAS (LTU)
Silver – Michele BERTOLINI / CECCHINI, Riccardo / Mauro CRENNA / Manfredi RIZZA (ITA)
Bronze – Artem KUZAKHMETOV / Artem KONONYUK / Oleg GUSEV / Vladislav BLINTCOV (RUS)
K1M 5000m
Gold – Fernando Pimenta (POR)
Silver – Emanuel Silva (POR)
Bronze – Richárd Janza (HUN)
C1M 5000m
Gold – Serghei Tarnovschi (MDA)
Silver – Ronald Verch (GER)
Bronze – Diego Romero (ESP)
K1W 5000m
Gold –Tabea Medert (GER)
Silver –Nina Krankemann (GER)
Bronze – Alyssa Bull (AUS)
