What a first individual final day we have seen at the 2022 ECA Canoe Slalom European Championships in Liptovsky Mikulaš when women's and men's finals were on the programme. For the first time in history of Canoe Slalom European Championships we have two European Champions - Eliška Mintalova and Stefanie Horn in women's K1 and Jiri Prskavec won a record fifth title in men's kayak.
Eliška Mintalova from Slovakia and
Stefanie Horn from Italy were crowned European Champions in women's K1 event of
the 2022 ECA Canoe Slalom European Championships in Liptovsky Mikulaš,
Slovakia. This is the first time two athletes stood on the highest podium
position at any canoe slalom European Championships.
23-year-old Slovak canoe slalom
paddler Eliška Mintalova started in the middle of the final as she finished the
semifinal run in sixth place. She had a penalty free final run and stayed in
the leading position until the very last athlete on the start line - Italian
Stefanie Horn.
German-born Horn was the fastest in
the semifinal and when she crossed the finish line she produced exactly the
same time as Slovak representative, so it became clear they will share the top
podium position and celebration in Slovak and Italian team could begin.
After the great success in her home country
Eliška Mintalova was a bit shy speaking in English, "I am very happy
because I am European Champion and this is my home course. It's a special
emotion for me. Everything was very good and I was focusing just on my
run."
Her Italian colleague Stefanie Horn
was over the moon too after her biggest individual success so far. She added
individual European gold medal to her two silvers from 2013 European
Championships in Krakow and 2017 Championships in Ljubljana - Tacen.
"I had a really difficult winter
this year. Starting the last with such a great time in the semifinal, I had
some pressure, but I am really happy. I am in love with Liptovsky, because I
got to know my husband here. I love paddling here, it feels like flying under
the bridge and there is big adrenaline, but when you go down it's really nice,
it's beautiful. My final run in contrast to my semifinal run was slower,
because I did not enter in the right strokes, it was less fluent," said
Horn.
Mallory Franklin from Great Britain
picked up bronze medal, her second medal of this championships as she was a
part of the British silver women's K1 team.
Surprisingly, German star Ricarda
Funk, reigning Olympic and World Champion failed to advance to the final after
she did too many mistakes on a demanding semifinal course.
Men's kayak final also brought
historic moment. 29-year-old Jiri Prskavec was unbeatable both in semifinal and
final and he won his fifth European Champion title, which makes him the most
decorated male kayaker at European Championships. With this achievement, he
shares the five European wins with legendary Slovak kayaker Elena Kaliska, and
is one European Champion title behind Slovak twins Peter and Pavol Hochschorner
who were European Champions in men's C2 six times.
"I don't think anybody could
expect to double it again. I wasn't event hoping for such a great result,"
said Prskavec, who repeated his success from 2016 when Europeans were held at
the same course and he won individual and team gold medal. "I am super
happy taht Liptovsky Mikulaš is one of mine best courses, I have good races
here. I am really happy about it. The problem today wasn't only the hard course
but also the wind, which was making it much harder. I managed to have a good
line and maybe I was a bit lucky in the final that the wind wasn't so bad. I
managed to put down a good run and I am European Champion," added the best
Czech kayaker.
Italian kayaker Giovanni De Gennaro
won silver medal for an exciting day for Italian team as well as De Gennaro
family. Namely, his sister in law is Stefanie Horn won the European Champion
title just an hour before De Gennaro repeated his silver success from last
year's European Championships in Ivrea. Austrian Felix Oschamutz was third.
This is the first individual medal at senior championships for Oschamutz, who
was 2017 junior world champion.
On Sunday, the championships will
conclude with women's and men's C1 semifinal and final runs and extreme slalom
final phase.
LIVE RESULTS:
https://siwidata.com/canoelive/#/live/eca/2017
LIVESTREAMING
Thursday and Friday: https://www.youtube.com/c/CanoeEurope
Saturday and Sunday*: https://olympics.com/en/sport-events/2022-eca-canoe-european-slalom-championships-liptovsky-mikuias/
Important: *Saturday's and Sunday's programme will be exclusively streamed on Olympic Channel, however, because of the TV rights restrictions certain territories will be geoblocked (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Spain, France). All the races (including Saturday's and Sunday's programme) will be available on Canoe Europe Youtube channel in the week after the championships ends, when the TV rights restrictions will be lifted.
TV RIGHTS holders (check the TV
station's programme for exact times):
Slovakia: TV JOJ
Czech Republic: Česka televize
Spain: RTVE
France: L'Equipe
Slovenia: TV Slovenija
Germany: ARD/ZDF
Austria: ORF
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