Preparations are in full swing for the 2025 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup event in Ljubljana – Tacen. Between Friday and Sunday, the rapids of the Sava River will host the fourth World Cup race of the season. World-class athletes are expected to compete, including top Slovenian representatives, who will be among the main contenders for podium spots.

The Slovenian team, set to showcase their skills to canoeing fans this weekend, is made up of elite paddlers who have already brought joy to local supporters in this and previous seasons. In the women’s kayak event, Eva Alina Hočevar, Ajda Novak, and Lea Novak will be on the start line, while in the women’s canoe, Hočevar and Lea Novak will be joined by Alja Kozorog. In the men’s canoe, Žiga Lin Hočevar, Luka Božič, and Benjamin Savšek will compete, and in the men’s kayak, Peter Kauzer, Martin Srabotnik, and Žiga Lin Hočevar will take part. Žiga Lin Hočevar will also compete in kayak cross, alongside Jan Ločnikar, Jakob Šavli, Eva Alina Hočevar, Ajda Novak, and Naja Pinterič, who will represent Slovenia in this discipline.

The battle for the top spots will be fierce. This year, the International Canoe Federation (ICF) introduced a new competition format for the World Cup series. Only one heats run will be held, with the top 12 boats from each event progressing directly to the final—there are no second chances and no semi-finals. Kayak events are scheduled for Friday, canoe events for Saturday, while Sunday will be dedicated entirely to kayak cross, with medals awarded in both individual kayak cross and head-to-head knockout races.

Athletes from 30 nations will line up at the start alongside the Slovenians, including Olympic, World, and European medallists, as well as regular World Cup frontrunners. Among the big names to watch are France’s Nicolas Gestin, Titouan Castryck, Angele Hug, and Camille Prigent; Britain’s Joseph Clarke, Kimberley Woods, Adam Burgess, and Ryan Westley; Czech paddlers Jiri Prskavec, Martina Satkova, and Jakub Krejči; Germany’s Ricarda Funk, Elena Lilik, Sideris Tasiadis, and Noah Hegge; Italy’s Giovanni De Gennaro, Xabier Ferrazzi, and Marta Bertoncelli; Poland’s Klaudia Zwolinska and Mateusz Polaczyk; Slovakia’s Zuzana Pankova, Sona Stanovska, Matej Benuš, Michal Martikan, and Jakub Grigar; as well as Evy Leibfarth from the USA, Monica Doria from Andorra, and Spain’s Maialen Chourraut, Pau Echaniz, and Miquel Trave—among many others.

In addition to the Slovenian team, competitors from Andorra, Czechia, Slovakia, Spain, France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Australia, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Croatia, Serbia, Ireland, Brazil, Japan, Canada, the Netherlands, Hungary, China, Sweden, Ukraine, New Zealand, Latvia, the United States, Comoros, Senegal, and Mauritius have confirmed their participation.

Tickets for the event are available in advance through Eventim. All ticket holders will have free access to LPP public transport lines to reach the venue. Please note that due to safety regulations, dogs are not allowed on site.

As the event is organised in line with sustainability guidelines, all visitors are kindly encouraged to use public transport, bicycles, or carpooling wherever possible.

More information: www.slalomtacen.com and https://www.canoeicf.com/canoe-slalom-world-cup/ljubljana-2025

We have entered the week of the 2025 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup race in Ljubljana, taking place at the Kayak Centre in Tacen. But before the action kicks off on the rapids of the Sava River, slalom paddlers will showcase their skills on the Ljubljanica River in the traditional Parallel Slalom, held on Tuesday, 26 August, at 6 p.m. by the Cobbler’s Bridge (Čevljarski most).

During this exhibition race on the Ljubljanica, spectators will be able to watch Slovenian national team members Ajda Novak, Lea Novak, and Sara Belingar, alongside young kayakers Domen Bregar, Tin Kos, Gašper Vinkovič, Tadej Tilinger, Jernej Kramer, Aljaž Grzin, and Lucijan Požlep, as they take on some of the top international canoe slalom stars.

The women’s kayak line-up includes names such as Kimberley Woods, Monica Doria, Lena Teunissen, and Eva Pietracha. In the men’s kayak event, Xabier Ferrazi, Pedro Goncalves, and Mathurin Madore will compete, while the men’s canoe class boasts a particularly star-studded line-up. Among them will be the reigning Olympic champion Nicolas Gestin, alongside Spain’s Miquel Trave, Yohann Senechault, Flavio Micozzi, and others.

The Parallel Slalom on the Ljubljanica will follow a knockout tournament format, with head-to-head duels leading to the final winners in both the men’s and women’s events.

If you can’t make it to the event in person, a live stream will be available on the YouTube channel of the Canoe Federation of Slovenia:

Vstopili smo v teden tekme za svetovni pokal v slalomu na divjih vodah v Ljubljani, natančneje v Kajakaškem centru Tacen. Še pred tekmami na brzicah reke Save pa se bodo slalomisti in slalomistke predstavili na Ljubljanici, na tradicionalnem paralelnem slalomu, ki bo v torek, 26. avgusta, ob 18. uri pri Čevljarskem mostu.

Med vratci promocijske tekme na Ljubljanici boste lahko spremljali slovenske reprezentantke Ajdo Novak, Leo Novak in Saro Belingar ter mlade kajakaše Domna Bregarja, Tina Kosa, Gašperja Vinkoviča, Tadeja Tilingerja, Jerneja Kramerja, Aljaža Grzina in Lucijana Požlepa, ki bodo izzivali ase slaloma na divjih vodah.

V konkurenci kajakašic bodo med drugim na startu namreč Kimberley Woods, Monica Doria, Lena Teunissen in Eva Pietracha, v moškem kajaku Xabier Ferrazi, Pedro Goncalves in Mathurin Madore, še posebej pa bo zvezdniška zasedba v moškem kanuju, kjer se bodo v centru Ljubljane predstavili aktualni olimpijski prvak Nicolas Gestin, Španec Miquel Trave, Yohann Senechault, Flavio Micozzi…

Paralelni slalom na Ljubljanici bo organiziran na turnirski način, z izločilnimi dvoboji do končnega zmagovalca in zmagovalke.

Če si tekme ne boste mogli ogledati v živo, bo na voljo spletni prenos na Youtube kanalu Kajakaške zveze Slovenije: