The world's best Canoe Marathon stars will land in Chengdu next month for The World Games 2025, as the discipline returns on the official programme of the multi-sport event for the second time.
While title defence and change in colour of medals are at stake for many of them, the Games in Chengdu also have the potential for new stars to be born.
With less than three weeks to go, the ICF takes a look at the top three paddlers to look out for in the men's and women's categories.
Vanda Kiszli
The only Canoe Marathon athlete in Chengdu who will be a dual defending champion. What a way to enter a competition. The Hungarian legend has made a habit of winning in the discipline, but 2024 was a tough pill to swallow after losing her stranglehold in the women’s K1 to Sweden's Melina Andersson. The World Championships in Metkovic saw Kiszli finish second to the Swede in both distances. But as they say, class is permanent, and if anything, the multiple world champion will eye a superb bounce back with the world watching.
Melina Andersson
The new queen of K1? Certainly looks like it. In Chengdu, Andersson will be making her debut at The World Games. The mouth-watering clash between her and Kiszli will be a joy to paddling fans around the world. She has started the year well and has proved her versatility by winning continental medals in Canoe Sprint and at the ICF World Cup in Szeged. After conquering the World Championships titles last year in Metkovic, the Swede has all the talent to do a double at The World Games.
Eva Barrios
Another double medallist, Eva Barrios, secured bronze and silver when Birmingham hosted the Games. The 35-year-old stood on the podium at the Canoe Marathon European Championships in June, teaming up with Irato Osa Irureta to claim bronze in the kayak double. Individually, she was among the medallists at the ICF Hangzhou Super Cup along with Andersson. While the field in Chengdu is unpredictable, the Spaniard still has a few tricks up her sleeve and will not go down without a fight.
Mads Brandt Pedersen
The Dane will be the man to beat at The World Games Chengdu 2025. Almost untouchable in the K1, he will be arriving in China as the men’s kayak single short-distance and long-distance World Championships gold medallist. In 2024, Pedersen also captured the world title in the men’s K1 5000m in Canoe Sprint. At The World Games Birmingham 2022, the now 29-year-old bagged the short-distance gold and standard-distance silver and will be keen to make it a double this time around.
Hamish Lovemore
The super uncle to Birmingham 2022 champion Andre James Birkett's kids, Lovemore will also arrive in Chengdu in great form. Having made his Olympic debut alongside Birkett at Paris 2024, he found his rhythm in Canoe Sprint at the World Cup in Poznan, where he almost won gold in the kayak single 1000m, only for Hungarian Balint Kopasz to deny him by a whisker. In China, he will be back to his first love. Having sealed the ticket to The World Games ahead of his good friend Birkett, the 25-year-old will hope to see the South African flag fly high in the city of Pandas.
Jose Ramalho
At 42, the Portuguese athlete is still among the podium positions. In June, he got two individual medals at the European Canoe Marathon Championships. A bronze in the K1 short distance and silver in the K1 long distance on home waters in Ponte de Lima, Ramalho will also have fond memories from four years ago in Birmingham when he won bronze in the short distance. At the 2024 World Championships in Metkovic, too, he performed well, showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
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