23-year-old Slovak paddler Eliska
Mintalova was in tears after the exciting women's U23 kayak final at the 2022
ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom World Championships in Ivrea, Italy. This was
the first individual title in the U23 age group for the reigning senior
European Champion. Anatole Delasuss was the best in men's U23 K1, while junior
World Champion titles in men's and women's canoe went to Australian Mark
Crosbee and Slovak Zuzana Pankova.
Exactly one year ago Eliska Mintalova
suffered a broken toe just before the Olympic Games in Tokyo. The luck she
lacked a year ago was working in her favour on Friday when the women's K1 U23
final was on the programme of the 2022 ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom World
Championships.
But the luck actually was not even
needed as Mintalova produced an excellent run and won with more than three
seconds advantage over Emma Vuitton from France. Vuitton successfully switched
from junior category, where she finished second at last year's junior World
Championships, to U23 age group. Bronze medal went to Andorra thanks to Monica
Doria Vilarrubla.
As tears of joy were running down
Eliska's cheeks she said: "It is amazing. This is my first title in the
U23. It's very good."
"I broke a toe last year in
Tokyo on this day, but now it is much better because I have a medal. I am so
happy. I have a very good season."
"I love this course and I love
when the course is technical, because it is better for me."
"I will take maybe four days off
and then we will go to Augsburg."
French kayaker Anatole Delasuss
became the U23 World Champion after the superb final run. Despite the two
penalty seconds he picked up in the gate six none of the competitors that were
still at the start line managed to improve his result. Winner of the semi-final
Felix Oschmautz was trying hard, but concluded the race 0.32 seconds behind in
second place. Great Britain's Jonny Dickson won bronze medal.
Delasuss, who had a medal in junior
kayak event here in Ivrea in 2018 when the Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom World
Championships was last held on this venue, and was also the 2019 Junior World
and European Champion, was very excited after the race: "It was a good
final run. I am very glad about it."
"I had one touch, so I was not
sure it will be a win. It was very tight with Felix but it was ok at the
end."
The pool of athletes who are in the
game for winning the medals is increasing every time and the competition is
becoming fiercer. Athletes from eight nations and three continents were
qualified for the men's U23 K1 final as well as in men's junior C1 final.
Australian Mark Crosbee celebrated
the Junior C1 World Champion title with a penalty free run. Two Czech canoeists
Michal Urban and Lukas Kratochvil joined him on the winner's podium.
"I think it will take a few days
for it to sink in but it feels pretty special. It was a very tricky, technical
course. It was a shame to see so many mistakes, it was a really tough
course," said Crosbee.
Women's junior C1 final offered some
drama as all the finalists made mistakes along the course. None of the ten
athletes was able to navigate through the gates without mistakes. As the start
of the last three athletes was approaching there was a lot of tension who will
be the best at the end. One of the main favourites - Zuzana Pankova from
Slovakia, who was the winner of heats and was third in the semi-final - made a
mistake in the upstream gate 18 and lost a lot of precious time, however she
still took the lead.
Klara Kneblova, the defending
champion from last year's junior World Championships, was second in the
semi-final but made a mistake that pushed her out of the podium.
At the end, the winner of the
semi-final Evy Leibfarth was really fast on the course and it looked she will
take the gold medal, until the last gate, where she did a big mistake, got 50
seconds penalty and dreams of the medal were washed away.
Zuzana Pankova won the second gold
medal of the day for Slovakia, Spain's Nora Lopez finished second in junior C1
final, and German Lucie Krech was third.
"The final run did not go
according to my plan. I hoped it will be enough for the medal, but I did not
expect the gold," said Pankova.
When the mistake occurred, she
thought: "I cannot go like this. I have to get there and put my best
in."
On Saturday, the U23 men's and
women's canoe semi-final and final, and junior kayak (men's and women's)
semi-final and final are on the programme.
RESULTS
MEN'S U23 K1
1. Anatole Delasuss FRA 80.31 (2
seconds of penalties)
2. Felix Oschmautz AUT 80.63 (0)
3. Jonny Dickson GBR 80.90 (0)
WOMEN'S U23 K1
1. Eliska Mintalova SVK 90.51 (0)
2. Emma Vuitton FRA 93.55 (0)
3. Monica Doria Vilarrubla AND 93.61
(0)
MEN'S JUNIOR C1
1. Mark Crosbee AUS 91.19 (0)
2. Michal Urban CZE 91.54 (2)
3. Lukas Kratochvil CZE (0)
WOMEN'S JUNIOR C1
1. Zuzana Pankova SVK 105.06 (2)
2. Nora Lopez ESP 108.80 (2)
3. Lucie Krech GER 110.30 (2)
Photo: Damiano Benedetto
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