Slovenia’s Ana Steblaj and Anze Urankar posted the quickest times in the kayak as the International Canoe Federation Wildwater Canoeing Sprint World Championships got off to a flying start in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia.
With the event taking place in Czechia for the first time in almost a decade, Czech paddlers were keen to impress in front of the home crowd.
But it was the Slovenians who reached top spot in the kayak single sprint heats on Friday.
Click here for live startlists and results from Ceske Budejovice
Slovenia’s Ana Steblaj swept down the course in a time of 49.00 to secure pole position in the women’s K1 heats.
The next four fastest times were posted by Czechs with Anna Retkova registering the quickest of those in 49.11.
Kristina Novosadova crossed in 49.16, two-time champion Marie Nemcova in 49.25 and Klara Vankova in 49.65.
As expected, the Slovenians also looked strong in the men’s K1 having dominated the event over the past decade.
Anze Urankar, who triumphed in 2023 and 2024, starred on day one with a superb time of 42.96, while his rival and multiple world champion Nejc Znidarcic ranked third with 43.42.
Sandwiched between the two Slovenians was Vojtech Matejicek who clocked 43.23 for second place.
The top eight featured four Slovenians and four Czechs as they look set to battle it out for the top K1 prizes on Saturday.
In the women’s canoe single, France’s Elsa Gaubert laid down a marker with a time of 53.86 for first spot in the heats.
Italy’s Cecilia Panato came second with 54.06 and was followed by two Czechs in Marie Nemcova and Anna Retkova who clocked 54.75 and 54.92, respectively.
Her sister, Alice Panato, was also in the top five thanks to her run of 55.16.
The home crowd were delighted by the results in the men’s C1 heats with a Czech one-two.
Defending champion Matej Vanek secured top spot in 47.16, while compatriot Antonin Hales and Germany’s Normen Weber shared second place with 48.41.
France’s Nicolas Sauter, the top seed in the event, ranked fourth with 48.42, while Germany’s Ole Schwarz was among the other paddlers to impress with 48.53 for fifth.
Weber and Schwarz then combined to register the fastest time in the men’s canoe double heats with 46.60.
The Germans were followed by three French pairings as Tanguy Roussin and Manoel Roussin finished in 47.16, Corentin Combe and Clement Monjanel clocked 47.49 and Sauteur and Theo Viens crossed in 47.61.
In the women’s C2, Czechia’s Novosadova and Nemcova thrilled the home fans when they powered down the course in 52.21 to raise hopes of a gold medal on Saturday.
Italy’s Alice Panato and Cecilia Panato came second in the heats with 54.69, while Gaubert and Margot Beziat finished in 55.19 for third spot.
Switzerland’s Mona Clavadetscher and Hannah Mueller ranked fourth with 55.39 and Czechia’s Vikova and Pavla Jilkova fifth with 55.84.
Full coverage of the ICF Wildwater Canoeing World Championships can be viewed on the Planet Canoe YouTube channel.
Join Planet Canoe's YouTube channel for €9.99 per month to unlock members-only content and features
Read YouTube's frequently asked questions for more details.
Related links
