The development training camp that was held on the sidelines of the 2024 ECA Junior and Under 23 Wildwater Canoeing European Championships in Dallenwil has been hailed as a success.
The continental event was staged from July 3 to 6, with Czechia and France finishing as the top nations with 49 and 30 medals respectively.
Simultaneously, fifteen paddlers from Ukraine, Lithuania, Kosovo and Romania got an opportunity to add to their Wildwater Canoeing knowledge and improve their skills on the beautiful Engelberger Aa River.
A mix of newcomers and experienced wildwater paddlers added to the excitement of the development training camp.
Tomas Simoliunas of Lithuania, who competed in the men's U23 kayak event and who is a Canoe Sprint paddler, said he enjoyed it and would “do it again” if given an opportunity back home.
Mariia Lisovska from Ukraine, who is a Canoe Slalom athlete, felt she “improved” her Wildwater Canoeing skills after the camp.
Alexandra Plachtova from Czechia and Robert Janiszewski from Australia were the coaches who led the camp.
The duo hope to develop Wildwater Canoeing in more countries and attract youngsters.
“We built up the schedule for these guys,” said Plachtova.
“We want to develop Wildwater Canoeing in new countries, we want to catch them, to get younger generations involved, but it is not just working with them here in the training camp but also during the rest of the year.
“We try to keep contact with their coaches, with the athletes and try to build up the infrastructure of the clubs and the relationships between the clubs and their federations, so the federations can support the wildwater clubs.
“It is a challenging job, but we are working on it. To have them here, practicing, competing, is the cherry on the top.”
Read the release from the European Canoe Association here.
Related links
