Nemška kanuistka Andrea Herzog je osvojila zlato medaljo na 2024 ECA I Feel Slovenia evropskem prvenstvu v slalomu na divjih vodah v Tacnu. Med 35 tekmovalkami so bile tudi tri Slovenke, od katerih se nobeni ni uspelo uvrstiti v finale.
Zmagovalka Andrea Herzog je v finalni vožnji s progo na Savi opravila brez napake in s časom 101,24 sekunde. Druga je bila ob enem dotiku vratc Čehinja Gabriela Satkova (+3,80 sekunde), tretja pa prav tako z eno napako Francozinja Marjorie Delassus (+6,52 sekunde).
Od Slovenk je bila najbližje uvrstitvi med najboljših 12 v dopoldanskih kvalifikacijah Eva Alina Hočevar. „Finale sem zgrešila za 60 stotink sekunde in ko se to zgodi doma, zelo boli,“ je dejala in dodala, da je bila sicer zelo suverena, počutila se je dobro. „Morda sem bila malo nerodna, imela sem malo nesreče in zagotovo si ne bi smela privoščiti treh dotikov,“ je ocenila, potem ko je kvalifikacije končala na 16. mestu.
Še štiri mesta nižje se je v kvalifikacijah uvrstila Lea Novak. S svojo vožnjo je bila kar zadovoljna, vendar sta ji dodatne sekunde prinesla dva dotika vratc. „Morda na kakšnih odsekih ni steklo, kot sem si zamislila, ampak zdi se mi, da večjih napak ni bilo,“ je povedala.
Alji Kozorog se je vožnja povsem ponesrečila že kmalu na začetku proge in je evropsko prvenstvo končala na 35. mestu.
The 2024 ECA I Feel Slovenia Canoe Slalom European Championships in Ljubljana – Tacen concluded with individual and team events in women’s and men’s canoe. 16-year-old Slovenian wonder kid Žiga Lin Hočevar won European Champion title in men’s canoe, and German Andrea Herzog won her first European Champion title in women’s canoe. Czechia celebrated title in women’s canoe team event, and Slovenia took gold in men’s canoe team event.
Slovenia and Czechia were the most successful nations of the 2024 ECA I Feel Slovenia Canoe Slalom European Championships in Ljubljana – Tacen, the 25th edition of the ECA Canoe Slalom European Championships. Both – host nation and Czechia – concluded the competition with a total of six medals, three of them gold, two silver and a bronze. Altogether athletes from nine countries won medals, besides Slovenian and Czech athletes, representatives of Switzerland, Poland, Italy, Germany, France, Great Britain and Austria reached the podium positions.
On the final competition day, young Slovenian paddler Žiga Lin Hočevar took the glory. 16-year-old athlete finished fourth in Saturday’s kayak final, and on Sunday he produced a superb run in men’s canoe final which brought him the Senior European Champion title. Žiga Lin was crowned junior World Champion in canoe last year in Krakow.
Local from Ljubljana comes from canoeing family. His grandfather competed at the 1972 Olympic Games and his father Simon was also a very successful competitor. In fact, Simon Hočevar won European Champion title in men’s canoe in 1996 in Augsburg at the first ECA Canoe Slalom European Championships in history.
Now, 28 years later, Žiga Lin was repeating his father’s success and said in tears, “It feels amazing, it is the biggest victory of my life. It is unbelievable. I never thought this is going to happen this year, I just hope maybe one day I will win a professional race. It happened this year. It is the best day of my life!”
Young Slovenian paddler won the men’s canoe final and beat his more experienced team colleagues Luka Božič and Benjamin Savšek, who are first and second respectively on the World Ranking list. Božič is last year’s overall World Cup winner, and Benjamin Savšek reigning World and Olympic Champion.
Luka Božič won silver medal and was 0.84 seconds behind Hočevar, while Savšek took bronze medal (+1.07).
In women’s canoe final German Andrea Herzog won her first senior European Champion title, after she finished the race 3.80 seconds ahead of Czech Gabriela Satkova and 6.52 seconds ahead of Marjorie Delassus from France.
Herzog, who is a two-times World Champion, so far did not have gold medal from European Championships. In her collection were two silver and one bronze medal in women’s canoe team event at European Championships in 2016, 2017 and 2019.
This was a good consolation after she just missed out of the German Olympic team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“It’s great. A couple of weeks ago I just missed the Olympic spot in my federation, so this year I won’t be at the Olympics again and I was really, really said. I thought this European Championships and the next World Cups would turn out good. Now it is a really, really good start. I know that I am good, that is a good feeling,” said Andrea Herzog.
In the afternoon’s canoe team events, Czechia (Tereza Kneblopva, Gabriela Satkova, Martina Satkova) won ahead of Slovenia (Eva Alina Hočevar, Lea Novak, Alja Kozorog) and Great Britain (Mallory Franklin, Kimberley Woods, Ellis Miller) in women’s canoe event.
In men’s canoe team event, Slovenia confirmed the status of the main favourite. Savšek, Božič and Hočevar won the race ahead of Czechia (Lukaš Rohan, Jiri Prskavec, Vaclav Chaloupka) and Slovakia (Matej Benuš, Michal Martikan, Marko Mirgorodsky).
The 2025 ECA Canoe Slalom European Championships will be held in Vaires-Sur-Marne at the Paris 2024 Olympic course.
Tretji dan 2024 ECA I feel Slovenia evropskega prvenstva v slalomu na divjih vodah skozi Anaje Savšek, mlade tekmovalke tacenskega kluba in hčerke olimpijskega prvaka Benjamina Savška. Uživajte
Day 3 of the 2024 ECA I Feel Slovenia Canoe Slalom European Championships in Ljubljana – Tacen through the of Anaja Savšek, young athlete of the local canoeing club Tacen and daughter of Olympic Champion Benjamin Savšek. Enjoy
Anaje Savšek, mlade tekmovalke tacenskega kluba in hčerke olimpijskega prvaka Benjamina Savška. Uživajte 
2025 ICF svetovni pokal v slalomu na divjih vodah | 2025 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup 