Five gold medals on the final day secured Hungary’s place at the top of the standings at the International Canoe Federation Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Cup in Poznan, Poland.
Three of those came in the final four races as the Hungarians showcased their strength over 5000m to increase their gold-medal tally to eight overall.
Zsofia Katalin Csorba demonstrated her ability to adapt to different conditions as she won women’s canoe single 5000m gold for the second weekend in a row.
In stark contrast to last week’s torrential rain in Szeged, Csorba starred in the Polish sun, winning in 25:26.78.
Click here for start lists and results from Poznan
Great Britain’s Bethany Gill secured silver in 26:06.25, while Ukraine’s Valeriia Tereta bagged bronze in 26:10.22.
“I had to think again and be smart because it was getting very hot here, I had to save some energy for the end but for different reasons than last week,” said Csorba.
“I think I managed it pretty well.
“I had to show my versatility and we are used to these conditions when getting on the water at home in rain or sunshine like this.”
Adolf gets better of Cordova
The men’s C1 5000m title went to Hungary’s Balazs Adolf as he triumphed in 22:11.47.
Cuba’s Jose Ramon Pelier Cordova, who won the event in Szeged, finished in 22:18.79 for silver.
Germany’s Conrad-Robin Scheibner secured bronze in 23:38.95.
Csikos enjoys emphatic victory
There was also delight for Hungary in the women’s kayak single 5000m as Zsoka Csikos eased to victory.
After getting the better of Emese Kohalmi at the first portage, Csikos did not look back as she won in 22:39.82.
Italy’s Susanna Cicali took silver in 23:10.36, with Great Britain’s Emma Russell sealing bronze in 23:44.47.
“It was a very tough and hard race,” sad Csikos.
“I don’t know happened (at the first portage) as the other Hungarian girl had a problem and I just tried to have a bit of space.
“It is a very important to win here as I would like to keep racing in the 5K.”
Varga impresses again over 500m
Hungary’s Adam Varga made it back-to-back victories in the men’s K1 500m as he got the better of his fellow counterman Bence Nadas.
Varga proved too strong as he finished in 1:40.01 for the title as Nadas claimed silver in 1:40.37.
Czechia’s Josef Dostal did well from lane nine to pip Denmark’s Thorbjorn Rask for bronze in 1:40.50.
“I am very grateful to win the two World Cups in K1 500m and I look forward to the European Championships and World Championships,” said Varga.
“This gives me confidence especially after the Olympics when there was a big rest for me and the other athletes too.
“I didn’t know what I would be capable of but it has gone well.”
Kiss and Nagy complete hat-trick with C4 gold
The Hungarian crew of Agnes Anna Kiss, Bianka Nagy, Reka Opavszky and Csorba led from start to finish to win women’s canoe four 500m gold.
It was a second successive victory for the Hungarians as they backed up their triumph in Szeged to win in 1:49.82.
Kiss and Nagy also completed a hat-trick of gold medals, adding to their wins in the women’s C2 200m and women's C2 500m in Poznan.
“It was a wonderful weekend,” said Kiss.
“I can’t believe we have done this.
“It was team work so I am very happy and motivated for the next races.”
China’s Shuqi Li, Lina Xue, Mengya Sun and Yanan Ma bagged silver in 1:51.10, while Canada’s Sophia Jensen, Zoe Wojtyk, Jacy Grant and Sloan MacKenzie sealed bronze in 1:57.69.
Danish dazzle with Matthiesen and Pedersen golds
Denmark won the other two gold medals in the non-Olympic events on the last day of competition in Poznan.
Frederikke Hauge Matthiesen won a thrilling women’s K1 200m final.
It was a three-way battle for top spot as Matthiesen tussled with Ivanna Dyachenko of Ukraine and Slovenia’s Anja Osterman.
A margin of 0.17 was enough to see the Dane triumph in 41.86 as Dyachenko took silver and Ostermann claimed bronze.
“I love paddling the 200m,” said Matthiesen.
“I wasn’t as pleased with my start compared to my heat and semi-final but I managed to catch the water and pull myself together.”
Denmark’s Mads Brandt Pedersen marked his first international competition of the season with a gold medal.
There was no stopping the Danish paddler as he stormed clear of the field, triumphing in 20:00.85.
Samuel Balaz of Slovakia came second in 20:16.08, while Sweden’s Joakim Lindberg claimed bronze in 20:26.80.
“I got a pretty good entrance into the water after the first portage and after that gap opened up I just had to push on,” said Pedersen.
“The guys behind me were going pretty hard so I needed to pull off a pretty high pace not to be caught.
“The portage was a little different than normal because it was on lane nine and I think it worked well.
“Portages can be different from race to race and you just need to adapt to it.”
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