Dave Phillipson and Hope Gordon both claimed top spot on the podium during a thrilling Sunday of action at the 2025 Canoe Sprint & Paracanoe World Championships in Milan.
Phillipson, 36, was first to win gold after triumphing in an absolute thriller of a KL2 200m final to take his first World Championship title.
The Nottingham-native crossed the line just 0.17 seconds ahead of Italy’s Christian Volpi, who took second by 0.01 seconds from Azizbek Abdulkhabibov of Uzbekistan.
The top five were separated by 0.41 seconds just to highlight the closeness of the race.
“My technique and mental strength pulled me through,” said Phillipson, who won silver at Paris 2024. “It was tight that one. Our division is getting a lot closer and a lot tighter.
“[Scott] Martlew is out here, and [Christian] Volpi is killing it. He’s the one catching me, so next year, I’ll be pushing harder. But I’m buzzing, I didn’t think I had that in me.”
Six minutes later, Gordon, fresh from her KL3 200m bronze on Saturday, earned Great Britain’s second gold medal, this time in the VL3 200m final.
Gordon produced a dominant performance to win by over two seconds while compatriot Charlotte Henshaw took second, adding to her KL2 200m gold.
“I’m just so happy,” said Gordon after her victory.
“This year I felt I had more to give. With this trip, my parents turned 60 this year. I’m really chuffed that I could hopefully give them the best birthday present by getting top spot on the podium.”
With torrential rain falling in Milan, many athletes found it tricky to prepare but Gordon explained she felt ready once on the water.
She added: “It was a bit hectic in the tent this morning warming up when everywhere was just flooding around us, but as soon as I got on the water, I felt quite calm. It was flat and it was raining; it was a perfect day.”
Henshaw joined Gordon on the podium after holding off Yuqingyan Cai by 0.56 seconds to finish best of the rest and add another medal to her weekend haul.
“I’m really proud that I’m still able to bring back some silverware for the team and provide exciting races,” said the 38-year-old three-time Paralympic champion.
“That’s what we want, for people to fall in love with paracanoe. It’s fast, it’s furious, there are really close races and new people are coming out of the woodwork, which is great.”
Earlier in the day, Emily Lewis and Jeanette Chippington claimed well-deserved bronzes in the K1 200m and VL2 200m finals respectively.
Lewis battled hard to take third, pipping Denmark’s Bolette Nyvang Iversen by 0.05 seconds to the final spot on the podium and she was delighted with her efforts on the Italian water.
“I’m just really pleased I put something down that was one of my best races,” she said.
“It felt really good, it felt solid. Conditions were hard today, it was quite bumpy and chucking it down, but I had so much fun.”
Chippington staved off the threat of Debora Ribeiro Benevides of Brazil to claim third place and was happy to show she could still compete at the top level.
She said: “It’s been a really tricky year this year. I was taken off the programme and some people might have called it a day. But I love paddling, I love racing, and I knew I still had it in me. I’m pleased to come here and prove what I can do.”
Elsewhere, Emma Russell managed a respectable 10th place in the K1 500m final as Daniel Johnson came home in 13th in the men’s equivalent.
Tom Lambert finished 15th in the C1 5000m final while Beth Gill recorded a DNF in the women’s race.
Earlier in the day, Robert Oliver won the KL3 200m B final by just over a quarter of a second while fellow Brit Jonathan Young came fourth.
In the first race of the day, Thomas Lusty claimed a hard-fought fourth place in the K1 500m C final.
Newly appointed performance director, Ekaitz Saies, was really happy with the results and progress which has been made this season.
“It’s been a wonderful competition overall,” he said. “I was confident that our paracanoe and sprint teams would deliver their best performances of the season, but at a World Championships you can never be certain how that will measure up against the rest of the field.
“Here, every athlete arrives determined to perform at their very best.
“Our main goals this year were to create a team culture that allows our athletes to rise to the occasion, to race with courage, and to embrace the pressure. Not everyone achieved their individual targets, but as a team I believe we achieved all of ours.
“These results give us the confidence to go further, to train with more purpose, push harder, and aim even higher.
“I want to congratulate and thank all the athletes, coaches, and team members for the fantastic attitude and commitment they’ve shown throughout this week.
“We are building something special together, and we will protect it, nurture it, and keep growing stronger.”