The best young wildwater canoe paddlers from across the globe have arrived in Banja Luka ahead of this weekend’s 2019 ICF junior and U23 wildwater canoeing world championships.

Athletes from 18 countries will compete over four days in canoe and kayak events, including C1, C2, K1 and team events, on the Vrbas River in Bosnia and Herzogovina. There will be sprint and classic races.

Europe will be strongly represented, but there will also be athletes from USA and Australia.

The 2017 junior and U23 world championships were held in Murau, Austria, with France and the Czech Republic winning the most medals. Czech sisters Martina and Gabriela Satkova picked up five gold medals between them.

Martina Satkova will compete this weekend, however her younger sister will miss the event after successfully defending her junior C1 canoe slalom world title in Krakow last weekend. Several athletes from last weekend will be in action again on the wildwater.

Slovenia’s Eva Alina Hocevar and Vid Ostrbenik, and Czech Tereza Kneblova are among a handful of athletes who come to Krakow in good slalom form after impressing at last weekend’s world championships.

Italy’s Cecilia and Alica Panato tasted medal success two years ago in Austria, while Slovenia’s Anze Urankar is a former senior world champion. They will be among the medal favourites when competition kicks off in Banja Luka on Thursday.