Thunderstorms subsided just in time for the racing to start on day one of the 2025 ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships.
Great Britain had athletes racing in both the canoe sprint and paracanoe programmes with 16 athletes in action.
Reigning world champions Charlotte Henshaw and Laura Sugar opened up their campaigns, both winning their heats in the KL2 and KL3 respectively.
Charlotte said:
“It was good to blow the cobwebs today. No matter how often we do this, it never gets any easier and there is always nervous energy but I’m pleased to get that under my belt and get that A final spot on Saturday.
“It’s really important to put a marker down in the KL2, then try to get through tomorrow in the VL3 which will be trickier with three heats.
“I did wonder what next after Paris, achieving two gold medals was the dream for me so I had to look at motivations to continue this cycle.
“I had to find a reason to carry on but I’ve got those medals safely in my house, so that’s a nice feeling and it gives me a freedom so I can approach the next phase of my career looking at how we can push the sport on and see what we can achieve.”
Another strong performance from Hope Gordon in the KL3 also put her through to the A final after she came in second in her heat.
She will be back on the water tomorrow for the VL3 heat, an event which saw her earn a European gold medal earlier this year.
Tom Price made his international debut today, the VL1 paddler was 6th in his heat and will race again on Friday in the semi-final.
While he was disappointed with his race execution, Tom loved the experience and said there was lots he could take away from it.
“There was lots that went wrong there,” he said. “So there is a bit of a learning curve in the next race. At the start I was at the wrong angle so it was a bit of catch up from there once I’d corrected.
“But I’ve made it to the semi-finals now, so I can move on. There’s an opportunity to take those learnings forward to the next round – I didn’t come here to race just one event.
“It’s amazing to be part of this team, I crossed the line and Laura Sugar was there to support me. There are so many great paddlers who have given me such great advice.
“It’s great to have that experience to learn from and take forward.”
VL2 saw both Ed Clifton and Xander Van Der Poll competing in separate heats.
Fresh from his podium at the European Championships, Ed heads straight for the A finals after he secured second position.
Xander qualified for a spot in the semis, coming in at seventh.
Yet another category which saw two Brits competing, the men’s VL3 featured Jack Eyers and Stuart Wood – both paralympic medallists in the event.
After topping his heat, Jack has booked his place for the finals on Saturday. Stuart will also be progressing from his heat, securing a semi-final spot after finishing third.
Thomas Lambert opened the competition for the Brits in the C1 500m, where he finished in 4th place. He was back on the water in the afternoon in the C1 1000m finishing in 6th.
He will progress to the semi-finals in both events.
The women’s K4 500 crew of Emily Lewis, Deborah Kerr, Kristina Armstrong and Zoe Clark cruised through to the semi-finals after a fourth place in their heat.
Emma Russell was fourth in her heat of the K1 1000 before returning to the water for the 500m.
She finished in eighth in the fastest heat of the day, but will race again in the K1 1000 semi-finals.
During her C1 500m heat, Beth Gill looked comfortable, crossing the line in fourth to book her spot in the semis.
Having led for most of the race, Dan Johnson ultimately finished in fourth place in the men’s K1 1000m, qualifying for his semi-final.
Performance Director Ekaitz Saies commented on the entire team’s performance on day one:
“It’s been a good day, the team performed the way we were hoping. There were some solid performances in the sprint team with a lot of our paracanoe athletes either topping their heats or coming in top three.
“It’s key that everyone shows that team spirit and it’s fantastic to see the more experienced athletes giving opportunities for the newer members of the team to learn from the best in the world.
“They’re a great influence on each other.”
The racing continues tomorrow with Beth Gill opening day two in the women’s C1 200m.
With both heats and semis taking place throughout day two, the first finals are scheduled for Friday 22 August.
If you want to watch along, the livestream is available for members on the Planet Canoe YouTube Channel.
Competition schedule and live results are available here.