La Réunion host the international slalom canoe training
Ricarda Funk in action
La Réunion, February 9, 2021- The international slalom canoe is preparing the Tokyo Olympics no longer, as tradition, in Australia (in Penrith on the Sydney Olympic canal), but in La Réunion: an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean that has always been a French colony. Coincidentally, it also has a stadium for white water sports operating since July 2013 thanks to 4 motor-pumps water-draft system.
About 80 athletes - representing Andorra, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, and France - have been training for several weeks on the French channel just above the Tropic of Capricorn. Among them Olympic medals, world champions, European champions and young promises of the world of canoeing slalom. La Réunion was, hence, an obligatory choice since the infeasibility, due to the Covid-related restrictions, to reach the southern continent for Europeans.
Therefore, several national Teams have chosen to come to the middle of the ocean to train their athletes looking forward to a season that is still very uncertain. The slalom course is equipped with a water- draft system that keeps at 250 meters the level of the artificial track in the Sainte-Suzane department. A Sports facility equipped with boat storage, a gym and large spaces for outdoor activities; an ideal place for athletes who are practicing here specifically with a technique and race-pace work.
The first test- Last Saturday on this channel was held the first official race which has been financed by three municipalities on the island. The best athletes in the world, competing with each other, have found the opportunity to figure out the level of the competition, already in the first race of 2021.
The test in the men's kayak was thrilling with 5 athletes fighting for medals grouped in a few tenths. In the first position, the transalpine U23 world team champion Malo Quemeneur with 82.34. The second position was tied for the reigning world champion, the Czech Jiri Prskavec, who set the best time of the day, and the Italian Giovanni De Gennaro with 82.43. In the 3rd position the French Boris Neveu with 83.03, the Italian Zeno Ivaldi ended up in 4th position with 83.05. The 2018 world champion the German Hannes Aigner finishes in 6th position preceded by the Swiss Martin Dougoud.
In women's kayaking, the German Ricarda Funk dominates with class and supremacy who with a stratospheric 87.4 beats by over 6 seconds the second classified, the Polish Natila Pacierpnik. Klaudia Zwolinska finished third with 93.92. More distant, respectively Marie Lafont 4th, the German Elena Apel 5th with the Italian Stefanie Horn 6th.
C1 competitions- In C1 women, the Spanish Nuria Vilarrubla won against the world champion, the German Andrea Herzog by only 7 tenths. Herzog's partner, Elena Apel, takes the bronze with a gap of only 14 tenths from the winners. Well done by the very young Italian Elena Micozzi fourth at 3 and 65 seconds.
In C1 men, Martin Thomas, the athlete who will represent France at the next Olympics, did not betray his expectations by winning, albeit with a penalty in front of the Spanish vice-world champion 2019 Ander Elosegi and bronze Irish Liam Jegou.
After the race, many athletes will stop for a few more weeks on the island to complete the winter preparation cycle, before returning to their respective locations for the various national selection tests and the start of the racing season on the old Continent.
About 80 athletes - representing Andorra, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, and France - have been training for several weeks on the French channel just above the Tropic of Capricorn. Among them Olympic medals, world champions, European champions and young promises of the world of canoeing slalom. La Réunion was, hence, an obligatory choice since the infeasibility, due to the Covid-related restrictions, to reach the southern continent for Europeans.
Therefore, several national Teams have chosen to come to the middle of the ocean to train their athletes looking forward to a season that is still very uncertain. The slalom course is equipped with a water- draft system that keeps at 250 meters the level of the artificial track in the Sainte-Suzane department. A Sports facility equipped with boat storage, a gym and large spaces for outdoor activities; an ideal place for athletes who are practicing here specifically with a technique and race-pace work.
The first test- Last Saturday on this channel was held the first official race which has been financed by three municipalities on the island. The best athletes in the world, competing with each other, have found the opportunity to figure out the level of the competition, already in the first race of 2021.
The test in the men's kayak was thrilling with 5 athletes fighting for medals grouped in a few tenths. In the first position, the transalpine U23 world team champion Malo Quemeneur with 82.34. The second position was tied for the reigning world champion, the Czech Jiri Prskavec, who set the best time of the day, and the Italian Giovanni De Gennaro with 82.43. In the 3rd position the French Boris Neveu with 83.03, the Italian Zeno Ivaldi ended up in 4th position with 83.05. The 2018 world champion the German Hannes Aigner finishes in 6th position preceded by the Swiss Martin Dougoud.
In women's kayaking, the German Ricarda Funk dominates with class and supremacy who with a stratospheric 87.4 beats by over 6 seconds the second classified, the Polish Natila Pacierpnik. Klaudia Zwolinska finished third with 93.92. More distant, respectively Marie Lafont 4th, the German Elena Apel 5th with the Italian Stefanie Horn 6th.
C1 competitions- In C1 women, the Spanish Nuria Vilarrubla won against the world champion, the German Andrea Herzog by only 7 tenths. Herzog's partner, Elena Apel, takes the bronze with a gap of only 14 tenths from the winners. Well done by the very young Italian Elena Micozzi fourth at 3 and 65 seconds.
In C1 men, Martin Thomas, the athlete who will represent France at the next Olympics, did not betray his expectations by winning, albeit with a penalty in front of the Spanish vice-world champion 2019 Ander Elosegi and bronze Irish Liam Jegou.
After the race, many athletes will stop for a few more weeks on the island to complete the winter preparation cycle, before returning to their respective locations for the various national selection tests and the start of the racing season on the old Continent.
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