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The first medal set of the 2025 ECA Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom European Championships in Solkan was awarded to the top teams in the women’s junior kayak team event. The Czech paddlers Marketa Hojdova, Anna Fabianova and Barbora Ondrackova handled the rapids of the Soca River best, finishing more than three and a half seconds ahead of the Spanish team in second place. The German kayakers took the bronze.

 

The Czech competitors were also the best in the U23 category. Katerina Bekova, Lucie Nesnidalova and Klara Mrazkova finished two seconds ahead of the German team of Paulina Pirro, Antonia Plochmann and Emily Apel. The bronze medal went to Italy.

 

In the men’s kayak team events, Germany proved unbeatable, winning gold in both the Junior and U23 categories. The junior European team champions title went to Killian Kaeding, Nelian Laryea and Joseph Seibert, who had a 1.80-second advantage over France at the finish line. Although Titouan Estanguet, Tao Petit and Clement Davy recorded a faster time, a gate touch and the resulting two-second penalty cost them the win. Czechia claimed the third place.

 

The success of the junior men’s team was quickly matched by the U23 competitors. Enrico Dietz, Christian Stanzel and Marten Konrad won the last gold medal of the first competition day. In a tense final, they were 0.60 seconds faster than the French team, while the British team finished in third place.

 

Earlier in the day, the individual kayak heats also took place, where the top 30 boats in each event secured their spots in Friday’s semi-finals. In the women’s junior kayak heats, the fastest were Hanna Danek from Poland, Anna Simona from Spain and Barbora Ondrackova from Czechia. In the men’s junior K1 heats, the best times were posted by Titouan Estanguet of France, Faust Clotet Juanmarti of Spain and Michal Kopecek of Czechia. In the women’s U23 kayak event, the fastest time was again set by a Polish paddler – Dominika Brzeska – followed by Germany’s Emily Apel and Czechia’s Lucie Nesnidalova. Italy’s Xabier Ferrazzi lived up to his bib number 1 and finished the heats in first place, ahead of Martin Cornu of France and Sam Leaver of Great Britain.

 

The 2025 ECA Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom European Championships in Solkan continues on Thursday with the heats for the Junior and U23 canoeists and the team events.