Australia’s Jessica Fox further enhanced her reputation as the greatest female slalom paddler of all time and Frenchman Titouan Castryck as a star of the future on the penultimate day of competition at the ICF World Cup final at Vaires-Sur-Marne in Paris.
24 hours after stitching up the women’s K1 gold, and her fifth consecutive overall world cup kayak title, Fox won the women’s C1 gold and her fifth overall title. It’s the third time 29-year-old Fox has won both the K1 and C1 overall title in a single season, and the eighth time she was won both the K1 and C1 gold at the same event.
Fox put more than four seconds between herself and her nearest opponent, Czech Gabriela Satkova, in the women’s C1 final, despite battling fatigue at the end of a long season.
“It has definitely been amazing so far, to win again today, take the overall in C1, I’m just so stoked – exhausted, but it’s not over,” Fox said.
“It shows I’ve been consistent throughout the season, there’s always some ups and downs at certain world cups, but I’ve felt good, I’ve raced well. The standard of women’s paddling is always increasing, and it’s never a given you know, you always have to show up.
“It’s been a near perfect season, but there are still things to improve on and things to work on. I’ve never raced a test event before in the lead-up to a Games, so this was different, this was new, and it was great to get that first look and that first feel on the Paris course.”
Great Britain’s reigning world champion, Mallory Franklin, took third place. British teammate Kimberley Woods finished fifth, which was enough to grab second place in the overall season standings. Ukraine’s Viktoriia Us finished 11th in Saturday’s final, good enough for third in the season’s standings.
French teenager Titouan Castryck felt confident at the start of the week that he could win a K1 medal on his home course, and on Saturday that confidence was well placed with a storming victory in front of euphoric French fans at the 2024 Olympic slalom venue.
The 19-year-old was one of the only paddlers to tame the challenging Vaires-Sur-Marne course, posting an error-free run of 89.20. Czech Vit Prindis and Great Britain’s Jonny Dickson tied for second place, posting 91.78.
“It was amazing, there was a lot of cheering on the side of the course, and I knew I could be good here and I got the run I was hoping for, so I’m really happy,” Castryck said.
“I think I was really solid during the early season in the heats and semis, but in the finals run I was always struggling to find my paddling. London was really hard and I wasn’t really confident after it, so I’m really happy to bounce back.
“I don’t know how it will be next year, but if I am in the Olympic team it will be a big confidence boost.”
A silver medal for Prindis was enough to secure the overall K1 world title for 2023, the third time in his career he has been confirmed as the most consistent paddler over an entire season. 34-year-old Prindis is widely considered one of the greatest slalom paddlers never to go to an Olympic Games.
Italy’s Giovanni De Gennaro finished second overall, and Olympic champion Jiri Prskavec, also from the Czech Republic, finished third.
The 2023 ICF Slalom World Cup Final wraps up on Sunday with the men’s and women’s kayak cross.
RESULTS
WOMEN’S C1
- FOX Jessica (AUS) 106.04 (0 seconds in penalties)
- SATKOVA Gabriela (CZE) 110.08 (2)
- FRANKLIN Mallory (GBR) 111.97 (2)
MEN’S K1
- CASTRYCK Titouan (FRA) 89.20 (0)
- PRINDIS Vit (CZE) 91.78 (0)
- DICKSON Jonny (GBR) 91.28 (0)
OVERALL WORLD CUP FINAL RESULTS
WOMEN’S C1
- FOX Jessica (AUS) 334 points
- WOODS Kimberley (GBR) 222
- US Viktoriia (UKR) 217
MEN’S K1
- PRINDIS Vit (CZE) 304 points
- DE GENNARO Giovanni (ITA) 271
- PRSKAVEC Jiri (CZE) 252
Pics by Damiano Benedetto
