Excellent results for Switzerland in the Wild Water Racing World Cup in Muotathal this weekend when Classic and Sprint races were held on the Muota River. Melanie Mathys from Solothurn continued her winning run following on from the European Championships.
The Classic race on Saturday was held under perfect conditions with 140 athletes from 14 nations taking part. From a Swiss point of view gold for Melanie Mathys and bronze for Hannah Müller in ladies kayak and Sabine Eichenberger’s silver medal in ladies C1 set the weekend off to a good start. France managed a double in mens C2 and in the mens K1 they also took two medals with Paul Graton silver und Paul Jean bronze.
Young Swiss talent Linus Bolzern from Luzern also finished a respectable 5th.
On Sunday rain and high water levels caused some delays. With nearly twice as much water as the previous day, both canoeists and organisers faced challenges. Nevertheless, the two heats and the finals were completed without major incident. Once again, under heavy water conditions, the French celebrated more successes in the Sprint races taking 8 medals in all. However, the Swiss women could still hold their heads high, with Melanie Mathys taking silver in the Sprint after her gold in the Classic on Saturday and Sabine Eichenberger managed a respectable 4th place in ladies C1.
The athletes and organisers alike can look back on an exciting and successful weekend’s racing. Now that the World Cup is over, the organisation of the World Championships in 2018 can begin in earnest. In a year’s time the world’s best canoeists will once again be fighting it out on the Muota.
Results Sprint Sunday:
Sprint Race, Women K1
- Place BREN Claire FRA 1:04.35
- Place MATHYS Melanie SUI 1:05.58
- Place DIMOVOVA Barbora CZE 1:06.60
Sprint Race, Men K1
- Place ZNIDARCIC Nejc SLO 0:58.07
- Place DEBELJAK Vid SLO 0:58.49
- Place JEAN Paul FRA 0:58.98
Sprint Race, Women C1
- Place COAT Cindy FRA 1:11.74
- Place PANATO Cecilia ITA 1:20.08
- Place BARM Sabrina GER 1:20.42
Sprint Race, Mens C1
- Place ROLENC Ondrej CZE 1:01.67
- Place LAPOINTE Louis FRA 1:02.13
- Place VIENS Theo FRA 1:02.88
Sprint Race, Women C2
- Place COAT - DURAND Cindy - Manon FRA 1:10.28
- Place PANATO - PANATO Alice - Cecilia ITA 1:12.51
- Place BARM - BARTH Sabrina - Lea Sophie GER 1:21.46
Sprint Race, Mens C2
- Place DEBRAY - LAPOINTE Tony - Louis FRA 1:00.05
- Place SANTAMARIA - DAZEUR Stephane - Quentin FRA 1:00.96
- Place FRANCESKIN - HOCEVAR Maks - Simeon SLO 1:01.60
You can watch all races in replay http://www.swiss-sport.tv/events/595-kanu-weltcup-muota-sz?medium=875
Results:
