Csay, McGregor and Kavar were the Marathon World Champions in singles

Very similar races the Women Senior K1 and the Men Senior C1. In both two pairs of paddlers took the lead from the first lap. Twelve times world champion Renata Csay (HUN) and Anna Kova (CZE) quickly opened a gap that went up to one minute in just two laps. The Italians Stefania Cicali and Anna Alberti took the responsibility in the chase group, but never managed to hold the gap. U23 champion Teneale Hatton (NZL) dropped from the group at half race, maybe not recovered 100% of her race on Friday, but made a great comeback and was again in the fight for the bronze medal after the last portage.

Renata Csay in the center, yellow boat. Picture: Jan N

Meanwhile, Renata Csay pulled away from Anna Kova in the fifth portage and made a solo last lap, entering the finish line with more than one minute of advantage. Anna Kova got the silver medal and Stefania Cicali, after a good sixth portage, entered in third position leading the group of five she had led for most of the race.

Antonio Campos (ESP) and Marton Kavar (HUN) decided in the C1 race that they didn’d want a large group around and pushed hard from the start, managing to make the gap bigger on every lap over a group of four that was more into the fight for bronze than into the chase for the leaders. Not far from them, Tamas Kiss (HUN) and David Mosquera (ESP) were fighting for bronze without losing the perspective of a virtual comeback to the leading par, but after 4 laps it was clear that gold and silver were unreachable. 

Hatton, Amorim and Birkett, new marathon world champions U23 after superb races

The Canoe Marathon World Championships kicked off with the Junior and U23 events on Friday 20th at Lake Bagsværd in Copenhagen.

In the junior competition, Hungary smashed the field, claiming three golds out of three races with Tamara Takacs in K1 Women, Adam Petra in K1 Men and Kristof Khaut in C1 Men. 

Raquel Carbajo leads the race with Hatton (in black) and Brun-Lie (in white). Photo: Jan N (DKF)

2 hours later, in perfect, glassy conditions, the U23 K1 Women, and C1 men, set off. After the first lap it was clear that Teneale Hatton (NZL), recently crowned 5000m world champion, wanted to set the pace in order to have the race under her control. After the second portage the front group was reduced to three paddlers: Hatton, Agnes Brun-Lie (NOR) and Raquel Carbajo (ESP), opening a gap of around 30 seconds over a group of six paddlers including Susanna Cicali (ITA), Noami Horvath (HUN) and Nuria Villace (ESP) and Lize Broekx (BEL), among others. The three leaders were careful to maintain the gap, each taking turns at the front to keep everything under control until the last lap.