The first finals of the ECA U23 and junior canoe slalom and kayak cross European Championships took place this afternoon with the K1 team events.
The first medal of the competition came from Sam Leaver (Edinburgh Schools), Jonah Hanrahan (Independent), and Tom Mayer (Stafford & Stone) who achieved bronze in their U23 MK1 team final. A fantastic effort from the team who were also successful at the World Championships, they came in with a time of 90.77.
Arina Kotchakov (Lee Valley) led the junior WK1 team down the course. Whilst they moved quickly, gate seven proved troublesome for the trio as they racked up two penalties there. Further penalties landed them in fifth place with 4 penalties with 114.60.
The junior MK1 team started off strong with contention for medals in section one and two. However a slower time through the final two sections and a penalty on gate 15 put them in seventh with 100.55.
Mirroring the men’s junior team, the U23 WK1 team started off quickly in section one and were even quicker in section two. Macy Kang (Holme Pierrepont) stormed ahead followed by Joely Walling (Shepperton), with Katie Shattock (Taunton) bringing up the rear. A penalty on gate 12 brought them in at 115.15 in ninth.
All twelve Brits are safely through to the semi-finals in the U23 and junior K1 respectively after strong performances all-round in heats this morning.
Sam Leaver also took the number three slot in the U23 MK1 with a time of 81.18. He raced keeping close to the posts to minimise his time and doing well to navigate the rocks surrounding gate 13. He came in just 2.52 seconds behind the Italian frontrunner Ferrazzi.
Gwion Williams (Llandysul) raced exceptionally. Whilst gate 13 seemed difficult for others, he took it well, putting in a good spin. A clean race for the junior men saw him come in at 84.54, taking fifth place.
Macy Kang glided through the course, expertly manoeuvring around gate ten with a well-timed spin. Her finishing time of 92.98 put her into eighth position.
Zoe Blythe-Shields (Independent) put on a quick race, flying through the first few gates before brushing gate 17 to be dealt a 2 second penalty. She qualifies in 12th place with a finishing time of 99.54.
In the first race for the GB MK1, Harry Kirby (Stafford & Stone) put on a clean performance, catching up with Peiker of Estonia. He finished in 86.16, settling in at 13th.
Next up, Sofia Alfer (Wyedean) started in a similar fashion to Blythe-Shields. Gate six saw her pick up a penalty whilst gate 13 presented a challenge, slowing her slightly although she navigated it well, finishing with a time of 100.91 in 15th.
Tom Mayer showed a graceful turn around gate five with a few well-timed ducks around the forward gates bringing him in 19th with a time of 84.14.
Arina Kontchakov started her race in a great display of speed and strength through the first four gates. She unfortunately picked up penalties on gate five and ten, with her paddle hitting the pole as she turned. Kontchakov raced a time of 103.21, coming in 20th.
Jonah Hanrahan followed Mayer, with another clean run of the course. Hanrahan performed especially well through section three, finishing in 84.41, putting him into 22nd place.
Katie Shattock was first to appear in the U23 WK1. She started off slow and steady but managed to clear section two in 19.46 seconds. Section four also seemed to work well for Shattock to finish in 101.53, in 26th.
Joely Walling came just behind Shattock. Another clean race which showcased her skill on the water. Walling raced well in her international debut coming in 28th with a time of 102.60.
Similarly, Dominic Thomas (Shepperton) finished the heat in 28th. He took backwards gate five in his stride, achieving a time of 90.35.
The GB team will be back in action tomorrow morning in the C1 heats, with the team finals coming in later that afternoon.
The kayak events will be wrapped up on Friday, with Saturday belonging to C1 semis and finals.
Kayak cross will take place on Sunday 3 August.
You can watch all the action live on Canoe Europe‘s Youtube channel.
Follow along with the live results here.