Great Britain were among the medals again on day two of the ICF Wild Water World Championships in Spain.
Continuing the classic programme over the longer 5.8km course in Sabero, five team titles were up for grabs.
After picking up K1 silver and then C2 gold with sister Emma on day one, Kerry Christie completed the set with bronze in the women’s canoe team classic final, alongside Chloe Bracewell and Laura Milne.
Chloe, who has transitioned from flat water, led the team down in a time of 23min 10.42secs, good enough for the podium, with France picking up another world title through Laura Fontaine, Eve Vitali-Guilbert and Elsa Gaubert.
“It is just amazing,” said team manager Jamie Christie, reflecting on a strong two days of classic finals.
“It has been a bit of a journey, creating a positive atmosphere and an ethos that if we work together, the results will come. And it’s starting to pay off.
“Yesterday was just an incredible set of results. All of the top 10s, Mags (Dilai) and Laura (Milne) getting fifth, the gold and the silver, of course, and the boys’ results were really good as well.
“We have a lot of British support here and the noise in the finish section has been incredible.”
The women’s kayak team final kicked off the action on the Esla River, with Kerry and Emma Christie looking to add to their medal collections for GB alongside Lucy Guest.
The trio won silver at the Junior and U23 European Championships last month, while Kerry and Lucy had also claimed two medals at last year’s junior and U23 worlds.
The British boat was in the medal mix at the intermediate split, 16 seconds down on the pacesetting Italians, but just six adrift of the Belgians, and within a second of the French.
Emma, Kerry and Lucy raced on and set the third fastest-time of 20min 25.15secs, with two boats to come.
Medal hopes were dashed when the French leapt into gold medal position before the pre-race favourites Cecilia Panato, Mathilde Rosa and Giulia Formenton, of Italy, scorched to the gold in 19:51.97.
It left the British team to settle for fifth, nine seconds off a podium place.
Andrew Crowhurst, Ryan Mallon and Nick Boreham were next to go in the men’s canoe team classic final.
After the withdrawal of three boats, they were the first to set a time, posting 22min 59.23secs.
The pace proved too hot, leaving the Brits in eighth place, while French paddler Theo Viens claimed his third gold of the championships, as he, Nicolas Sauteur and Charles Ferrion finished in a rapid 20:20.27.
Hopes of a third British medal of the championships were raised when Huw Singleton, Leon Tomlinson and Jacob Holmes hit the top of the timesheets in the men’s kayak team final.
Sixth team down the course, they clocked 19min 28.76secs, almost half-a-minute quicker than the previous best time.
Ultimately, they slipped down the rankings, but claimed ninth place.
The Brits came agonisingly close with closing day two with two medals as the men’s canoe double team final brought the curtain down.
The three British pairs of Jacob Holmes and Rob Jefferies, Andrew Crowhurst and Phil Dean, and Fred Brown with Nick Boreham got down in a good time of 21min 14.18secs, taking them into silver medal position with just two boats left on the course.
The Czechs then posted the fastest time before France became the only team to break the 20-minute mark with a blistering run to nudge Britain off the podium and into fourth spot.
It was an incredible eighth gold medal of the championships for the French squad.
But there was more success for the British paddlers in the masters competitions, with Neil Blackman becoming world champion in the over 55s K1, and picking up C2 bronze with Jamie Christie.
Nottingham Kayak Club team-mates Tina Parsons and Mags Dilai took silver and bronze, respectively, in the women’s masters race.
It’s now over to the sprinters, with a hectic day three ahead of heats where the British paddlers will look to qualify for Saturday’s sprint finals.
Results –
WK1 classic team: 5th – Kerry Christie/Emma Christie/Lucy Guest 20:25.15
MC1 classic team: 8th – Andrew Crowhurst/Ryan Mallon/Nick Boreham 22:59.23
MK1 classic team: 9th – Huw Singleton/Leon Tomlinson/Jacob Holmes 20:20.27
WC1 classic team: bronze – Kerry Christie/Chloe Bracewell/Laura Milne 23:10.42.
MC2 classic team: 4th – Jacob Holmes & Rob Jefferies/Andrew Crowhurst & Phil Dean/Fred Brown & Nick Boreham 21:14.18