It has been a year like no other for the International Canoe Federation with significant achievements and milestones on and off the water. In the second of our reviews of the season, we look at all the successes and memorable stories in Canoe Marathon, Stand Up Paddling, Canoe Ocean Racing and Dragon Boat.
Magic of Metkovic
When Melina Andersson looked down in horror at the damage sustained to her trusty paddle on the morning of her race, she could have crumbled but the Swede responded in sensational style. Using a spare, Andersson captured two golds at the ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships in Metkovic, Croatia, winning women’s kayak single short distance before breaking Hungarian great Vanda Kiszli’s stranglehold on the women’s K1 long distance crown with an amazing comeback. Mads Brandt Pedersen was another marathon star of 2024 as he completed a memorable K1 double. The Dane clinched the men’s K1 short distance title for the first time before triumphing over long distance. After shining in Metkovic where they also earned quotas for their respective nations for the Chengdu 2025 World Games, Andersson and Pedersen then sealed more golds at the ICF Hangzhou Super Cup. There was also an ICF Canoe Marathon World Cup staged in Brandenburg, Germany where a mixed relay featured for the first time.
Sprint Stars
For 23 absorbing seconds, SUP fans watched history being made in Sarasota, Florida. The men’s 100m final was gripping from start to finish with Bulgaria’s Andrii Kraitor emerging victorious. For the first time in the history of the ICF SUP World Championships, paddlers competed over 100m instead of 200m – and it provided some exhilarating finishes. There was also home joy as American ace Katniss Paris clinched the women’s 100m title in Sarasota in a time of 28.32. Another memorable moment was the victory of Noic Garioud who had experienced the delight of becoming a dad for the first time earlier this year. The Frenchman bounced back from the disappointment of failing to defend the sprint title by capturing the technical crown. There were also golds for Spanish duo Esparenza Barreras and Duna Gordillo and Japan’s Shuri Araki. The World Championships was the culmination of a fantastic SUP season that included World Ranking Events in Italy, Austria and Sweden as well as a World Cup in Greece.
Harbrecht History
Ever since the ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships was inaugurated in 2013, it’s been either a South African or Australian man standing at the top of the surfski podium. That was the case until Germany’s Gordan Harbrecht ended the 11-year South Africa-Australia duopoly with a brilliant performance on the Madeira waters in October. Harbrecht overcame defending champion Cory Hill of Australia, while South Africa’s 46-year-old paddling great Hank McGregor rolled back the years to win bronze. South Africa took the top two spots in the women’s SS1 with Kira Bester getting the better of Michelle Burn, while the mixed SS1 crown remains in Spain courtesy of Chloe Bunnett and Victor Rodrguez’s triumph. The Canoe Ocean Racing season ended with a World Cup in another fantastic location in Reunion, where French pair Pierre Vilella and Thais Delrieux won the respective men’s and women’s SS1 titles.
Sustainability Model
Keeping with the theme of stunning settings, Dragon Boat crews had the chance to compete in the glorious Filipino city of Puerto Princesa. Sustainability was at the heart of the ICF Dragon Boat World Championships in Puerto Princesa with the launch of the “Paddle Together for Climate Action” campaign that ran from October 28 to November 4. The campaign has been backed by Puerto Princesa Mayor Lucilo "Cecil" R. Bayron who pledged to continue sustainability initiatives to ensure the city is a role model after the event. Hosts Philippines enjoyed a memorable World Championships, winning 11 gold medals. Quota places for The World Games 2025 were also on the line with Myanmar claiming 10-seater mixed 500m gold to qualify. Thailand and Indonesia qualified before the World Championships following their success at the ICF Dragon Boat World Cup in Yichang in October.
