Jamaica made canoe slalom history, Slovakia qualified two athletes fastest and France and the Czech Republic continued their solid week with strong performances on the third day of the ICF junior and U23 canoe slalom world championships in Slovenia on Thursday.

When 16-year-old Solomon Maragh took to the water in the first heat of the junior K1 competition he officially became the first ever Jamaican athlete to compete at an International Canoe Federation event.

He did not qualify for the semi-finals, but was happy with his two runs, and happy to have made history for his country.

“I feel really proud to have represented my country, and I’ve done the best that I can do for a developing nation,” Maragh said.

“I feel very proud, and feel I have the responsibility now to set the standard for other Jamaican athletes within canoe slalom when opportunities come along.”

The fastest qualifier in the men’s K1 juniors was Frenchman Titouan Castryck, more than one second ahead of Slovenia’s Urban Gajsek.

Slovakia did send two other athletes through to the semi-finals as fastest qualifiers – Ivana Chlebova in the junior K1, and Simona Glejtekova in the U23 C1.

Chlebova, who also qualified third fastest in the C1, is in her final year of competition as a junior, and celebrated by posting an error-free fastest time in the K1 qualifiers.

“I didn’t feel under any pressure, and just went with the waves,” Chlebova said.

“It’s my last year in the junior category, so I’ve told myself to really push it and we will see how it goes.”

Teammate Glejtekova put together one of the most impressive runs of the day, qualifying fastest by more than one second in the women’s U23 C1 qualifiers.

Spain’s Klara Olazabal, who just missed Tokyo Olympic qualification, went into Thursday as the number one athlete and safely progressed through in 12^th place.

“It was enough for the semi-final, so I am happy with that, but I had some trouble at the beginning, I didn’t have a good line so I struggled,” Olazabal said.

“This is an emotional week because it is my last year in U23, so whatever is the result I will be happy with this experience. I am trying to make the most of it.

“I have never been bib number one, so that was kind of a shock but a good surprise.”

Czech Tereza Kneblova was the fastest in the women’s junior C1 qualifiers, finishing more than one second ahead of Slovakia’s Zuzana Pankova.

American Evy Leibfarth, who will head from Slovenia to Tokyo to make her Olympic debut, qualified sixth fastest in the morning’s junior K1, and fourth fastest in the C1 in the afternoon.

Friday will see semi-finals and finals in the men’s and women’s U23 kayak and the men’s and women’s junior canoe.

Source: https://www.canoeicf.com/news/jamaica-make-history-slalom-championships

Po treh kolajnah v torkovih ekipnih tekmah svetovnega prvenstva za mladince in mlajše člane v Tacnu se je tudi drugi tekmovalni dan za slovensko ekipo razpletel ugodno. Izmed dvanajstih kvalifikantov jih je v polfinale napredovala enajsterica. Kanuista Martin Gale in Urh Turnšek sta v mladinski konkurenci oziroma med mlajšimi člani zasedla peti mesti.

Martin Gale in Urh Turnšek sta prvi dan posamičnih kvalifikacij SP v Tacnu dosegla najvišji slovenski uvrstitvi. Med mladinci je bil Martin Gale zelo hiter na progi, a je hkrati dobil dva pribitka, ki sta mu prinesla štiri kazenske sekunde. Na koncu je bil tri sekunde in pol počasnješi od zmagovalca kvalifikacij, Francoza Tanguyja Adissona. To je zadostovalo za peto mesto. Tudi na drugem mestu je kvalifikacije končal Francoz, in sicer Mewen Debliquy, tretji pa je bil Nemec Benjamin Kies. S prvim kvalifikacijskim nastopom se je v polfinale prebil tudi Adam Križaj, ki je bil 19. Tit Šenk je šel na progo še v drugo, bil tam deseti in si tudi on priveslal napredovanje v naslednjo fazo tekmovanja.

V konkurenci kanuistov do 23 let je bil danes najboljši slovenski predstavnik Urh Turnšek. Kanuist celjskega kluba je s progo opravil brez kazenskih sekund in bil peti s slabima dvema sekundama in pol zaostanka za zmagovalcem Miquelom Travejem iz Španije. Drugi je bil Slovak Marko Mirgorodsky, tretji pa Francoz Nicolas Gestin. Tako kot Turnšek sta se s prvo vožnjo v polfinale uvrstila še Nejc Polenčič kot enajsti in Juš Javornik, ki je zasedel 15. mesto.

V dopoldanskem delu sporeda so tekmovale kajakašice in kajakaši do 23 let. V konkurenci kajakašic je bila Eva Alina Hočevar 12. in se tako kot edina Slovenka v nadaljevanje uvrstila že po prvem nastopu. Tako Lea Novak kot Zala Zanoškar sta na progo morali namreč še drugič. Zala Zanoškar je bila uspešnejša, saj je v drugi vožnji dosegla deveti čas in tako ujela polfinale. Brez slednjega pa je ostala Lea Novak, ki je v drugi vožnji prejela 54 kazenskih sekund, kar ji je onemogočilo boj za napredovanje v naslednjo fazo prvenstva. Najhitrejša je bila Francozinja Romane Prigent, druga je bila Čehinja Lucie Nesnidalova, tretja pa Nemka Elena Apel.

V polfinalu bomo videli tudi vse tri slovenske predstavnike med kajakaši do 23 let. V kvalifikacijah je bil tokrat najvišje Lan Tominc, in sicer 23. Tine Kancler je kot 30. ujel še zadnjo vozovnico za polfinale po prvi vožnji, Ulan Valant pa je napredoval s četrtim časom drugega nastopa. Tudi tu je bil najboljši Francoz. Anatole Delassus je tekmo končal pred Američanom Josephom Joshuo in Špancem Miquelejem Travejem.

V četrtek so na vrsti še kvalifikacije kajakašic in kajakašev v mladinski konkurenci ter kanuistk v obeh starotnih kategorijah.

French paddlers Romane Prigent, Anatole Delassus and Tanguy Addison firmed in favouritism to win gold at the 2021 ICF junior and U23 canoe slalom world championships with impressive heat runs in hot conditions in Slovenia on Wednesday.

Spain’s Miquel Trave was the only athlete to stand between France and a clean sweep of the qualifiers, posting the quickest time in the men’s U23 canoe slalom.

Thirty years after his father won world championship gold on the same Tacen course, 18-year-old Frenchman Tanguy Addison qualified fastest in the men’s junior C1 heats.

“Before the run I felt a little bit stressed, but during the run it felt so good, so clean,” Addison said.

“I think I can go faster. My father is watching in the tribune, it’s so good to be racing here at the same place where he won 30 years ago.”

Prigent said Tacen was fast becoming her favourite canoe slalom course. On Tuesday she was part of the victorious French K1 U23 team, which followed her world cup gold in Ljubljana last year.

“It’s a short run here in Tacen, but I did a clean run, with maybe a couple of small mistakes, but I think it was a good one,” Prigent said.

“I love this course, I love the way we can paddle with the water, I think it’s really nice. The course is even nicer with the drop now.

“I think its good for teams to win a medal at the start, because it shows everyone we are here and we can win gold medals.”

Anatole Delassus won the K1 junior world title in Krakow in 2019, and showed he is ready to take on the older paddlers with an error-free run in the U23 qualifiers.

“I felt good on the water, my run was very good, but I hope I’ve kept my best run for Friday,” Delassus said.

“I feel excited and very motivated for these championships. It’s been hard, but the French Federation have organised a lot of training, so I feel good.”

Miquel Trave is one of only a handful of male paddlers in the world who competes in both the K1 and the C1. On Wednesday he comfortably qualified for the semi-finals in the U23 K1 in the morning, and then set the fastest time in the C1 in the afternoon.

“I felt really good in the water, a bit nervous maybe because it’s been two years without a world championships, so it was good to feel the start line again,” Trave said.

“I don’t feel any pressure, I obviously want to get another world title, so I will fight for it. It’s not easy, there are 10 or 12 people who can win this world championship, so it is time to fight, time to focus on the semi-finals.”

The ICF junior and U23 canoe slalom world championships continue on Thursday, with racing in men’s and women’s junior kayak, and the women’s junior and U23 canoe.

Source: https://www.canoeicf.com/news/flying-french-show-way-slalom-worlds