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The Solkan Kayak Centre will this week stage its third championships event for junior and U23 categories this year. After hosting the World Championships in wildwater canoeing and rafting for these age groups earlier in July, the spotlight now turns to the continent’s top young canoe slalom paddlers competing for European titles. Around 500 accredited participants from 28 countries are present in Solkan.

 

Fighting for the top places are elite young athletes, including many with senior-level experience and medal winners from this year’s ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom World Championships and the recently concluded European Youth Olympic Festival in Skopje. Local hopes will focus on Ziga Lin Hocevar and Eva Alina Hocevar, who brought Slovenia considerable success at this year’s World Championships. Also on the start line is the Slovenian junior kayak team – Hocevar, Tadej Tilinger, and Tjas Velikonja – aiming to repeat their gold medal team performance from Foix on home rapids.

 

The challenge will be far from easy, as the very best in the junior and U23 categories have arrived to the Soča River. Among the names to watch are Austria’s Max Steinbrenner; the strong Czech team featuring Barbora Ondrackova, Michal Kopecek, Matyas Novak, Katerina Bekova, Lucie Nesnidalova, Lukas and Martin Kratochvil, Adriana Morenova, Tereza Kneblova, Olga Samkova, and Stepan Venc; Spain’s Faust Clotet Juanmarti, Oier Diaz, Anna Simona, Ainhoa Segura, Manel Contreras, and Leire Goni. The French team includes Titouan Estanguet, Martin Cornu, Doriane Delassus, Mewen Debliquy, and Yohann Senechault. Representing Great Britain are Zoe Blythe-Shields and Sam Leaver; from Germany, Mina Blume, Neele Krech, Paulina Pirro, and Emily Apel; from Italy, Dennis Fina, Xabier Ferrazzi, Martino Barzon, Elena Borghi, and Elena Micozzi. North Macedonia will be represented by Angel Petrushev, and from Poland, Hanna Danek, Marek Kulczycki, and Patrycja Iwaniec – to name just a few.

 

The championships officially opens today at 19:00, with the first races scheduled for Wednesday. The kayak heats for women and men (junior and U23) begin at 09:30, followed by the team events at 14:28. Thursday sees the canoe heats take place, with individual runs from 09:30 and team events starting at 13:30. Friday will feature the semifinals and finals in kayak (from 09:00, with finals at 14:30), while Saturday will follow with the same format for the canoe events. Sunday is reserved for kayak cross, with the kayak cross individual starting at 08:30, followed by the kayak cross head-to-head races from 12:30.