The 2025 international canoe sprint season kicked off today at the ICF World Cup in Szeged.
Under the new Head Coach Ekaitz Saies, the new look squad took to the water with a new racing ethos.
Up first for Great Britain was Tom Lambert (Lincoln) in the Men’s C1 500m. Having qualified through the heats, he finished in sixth place in the semi-final of the men’s which puts him through to the B final tomorrow.
The new quartet of Emily Lewis, Emma Russell, Lucy Lee-Smith (Norwich) and Zoe Clark (Royal) will race in the B Final of the K4 500m. They finished in sixth place in their competitive semi-final with less than a second separating places three to six.
Having both qualified through the heats, Emily Lewis (Worcester) was eighth in her semi-final of the K1 500m, with compatriot Emma Russell (Chelmsford) ninth in hers. They will race together again in the C Final tomorrow.
A year after having shoulder surgery, Beth Gill was sixth in her heat, and then in her semi-final. She will race in the B final tomorrow.
Dan Johnson (Nottingham) & Matt Collinge (Fowey) contested semi-final Bs after finishing sixth and fifth in their respective K1 1000m heats. They finished in first and third respectively and will both progress to the D Final.
On their senior team debuts, Wey’s Tom Holland and Abi Burton were also in action.
Tom finished ninth in the K1 200m semi-finals, missing out on tomorrow’s finals. He finished third in the heats earlier in the morning.
And finally, Abi finished in eighth place in the women’s K1 1000m, sadly missing out on the semi-finals but she will go again in the K1 200m.
Head Coach Ekaitz Saies said: “Our objectives for the first day of racing were twofold: to understand where we currently stand in comparison to the rest of the international field, and to gather internal insights that will support our ongoing learning and help us identify areas for improvement.
“In that respect, we’re pleased to see that we have a solid system in place, one that enables us to approach races methodically, analyse performances using a range of parameters and observations, and engage in constructive discussions between coaches and athletes.
“It’s still early days in this journey, but we’re on the trajectory we had hoped for.
“The mood within the team is positive, and credit must go to the coaches, who are approaching their work with confidence and professionalism.”
Live results can be followed here and all the action can be watched on the Planet Canoe YouTube
How to watch
Planet Canoe YouTube channel members will have exclusive access to live coverage of all the major International Canoe Federation events in 2024 for €9.99 a month.
Sign into YouTube, or create an account, and click JOIN to watch uninterrupted live coverage of the world’s best paddlers competing for top honours.
Sign in to YouTube, or create an account
Go to Planet Canoe’s channel
Click ‘JOIN’ and fill out your payment details
After becoming a member, you will have access to the exclusive members tab and can watch members-only content.