The wait is finally over as Canoe Marathon and Dragon Boat action will kickstart the proceedings tomorrow at The World Games Chengdu 2025 at the Xinglong Lake Hubin Arena.
For the first time, two paddle sport disciplines will be sharing the same venue at the multi-sport event, with Dragon Boat debuting on the official sports programme.
In Canoe Marathon, a total of 40 athletes - 20 men and 20 women - will compete in the kayak single short distance and long distance.
Mads Brandt Pedersen of Denmark, Jose Ramalho of Portugal, Ivan Alonso of Spain, and Nico Paufler of Germany are among the men's stars in Chengdu, with all winning medals at the previous edition in Birmingham, Alabama, United States.
Hamish Lovemore of South Africa, in red-hot form, will hope to emulate compatriot and 2022 long distance gold medallist Andy Birkett, whom he pipped in the selection trials.
The women's races will see the sensational double title holder, Vanda Kiszli of Hungary, return with Melina Andersson of Sweden hoping to continue her recent dominance in both distances.
Eva Barrios of Spain, silver and bronze medallist three years ago, is also among those looking to add to their The World Games tally.
“It is a great honour to represent Denmark at The World Games for the second time. It is a unique international multi-sport event – a kind of Olympics for non-Olympic disciplines – and I am looking forward to giving it my all in China,” Pedersen said.
“At Birmingham 2022, I won gold in the short distance and silver in the long distance, and this year I am going hard for gold in both events. I am in really good shape and looking forward to competing against the best in the world.”
As for Dragon Boat, there are six medal events in Chengdu - mixed 10-seater 200m, mixed 10-seater 500m, mixed 10-seater 2000m, open eight-seater 200m, open eight-seater 500m, and open eight-seater 2000m.
Cambodia, China, Czechia, Spain, Hungary, Indonesia, Korea, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, and Ukraine are the teams that will be vying for honours, with every crew required to compete in all six events.
Having made two invitational appearances in 2005 in Duisburg, Germany, and the 2009 edition in Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei, the introduction of the discipline as an official medal event could not have occurred at a better place than in China.
The sport with origins in China will excite home fans, with the young team equally motivated to deliver.
The Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand are among the Asian powerhouses that have had memorable tournaments on the road to Chengdu, including at the International Canoe Federation Dragon Boat World Championships in Puerto Princesa in 2024.
Among the Europeans, Hungary enjoyed a great tournament in the Philippines, while the Czechs have also voiced their ambitions ahead of the much-anticipated debut.
“It is great to be in Chengdu. People here are strict but very nice, and they will do anything they can to help us. There are 12 strong teams, but we are one of them,” Gitta Remenyi, a crew member from Hungary, said.
“We are happy to have such a reputation in Asia, especially after our strong performance at the ICF Dragon Boat World Championships last year in the Philippines. We hope we can continue like that here.”
Medal events
Canoe Marathon
August 9: K1 short distance (men and women)
August 10: K1 long distance (men and women)
Dragon Boat
August 9: open eight-seater 2000m
August 10: mixed 10-seater 200m, mixed 10-seater 500m, mixed 10-seater 2000m, open eight-seater 200m, open eight-seater 500
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