Olympic Ranking points will be on the line when Szeged, Hungary hosts the first International Canoe Federation Canoe Sprint World Cup of the season from Friday to Sunday.
With the Olympic qualification window now officially open, every stroke will carry added significance over the next two years.
A new national-based ranking system means countries will fight for points across all 10 Canoe Sprint events on the LA28 programme, turning the World Cup circuit into a high-stakes showdown.
The competition in Szeged will be the first ICF World Cup to count as an Olympic Ranking event, adding extra excitement and intrigue over the next three days of competition.
Click here for live schedule and results from Szeged
Almost 700 athletes from more than 60 countries have arrived in the Hungarian city with LA28 in their sights.
Among those is Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist Nevin Harrison who returns to the startline after more than a year away from competition.
Harrison of the United States has not raced internationally since she missed out on women’s canoe single 200m gold at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Her comeback elevates an already stacked women’s C1 field featuring reigning Olympic champion Katie Vincent of Canada, 2023 world champion Yarisleidis Cirilo Duboys of Cuba and reigning world champion Liudmyla Luzan of Ukraine.
Luzan will be looking to pick up from where she left off after earning four world titles in 2025 including women’s C1 200m gold.
She will be reunited with Anastasiia Rybachok in the women’s C2 boat – a partnership that achieved Olympic silver medals at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
Poland’s Anna Pulawska is another paddler that will be eager to build on a stunning 2025 season that saw her crowned world champion in both women’s kayak single 500m and women’s kayak double 500m.
Germany’s Olympic gold medal-winning men’s kayak four crew will be back together for the first World Cup of the season.
After missing out last year, three-time Olympic champion Tom Liebscher-Lucz returns to the K4 boat, rejoining Max Rendschmidt, Max Lemke and Jacob Schopf in a formidable German quartet.
Hungary ended Germany’s winning run in Szeged last year and will be determined to triumph again on home waters.
The host nation will have high hopes of delivery success with Balint Kopasz and Adam Varga eyeing K1 glory and Zsoka Csikos, Kolos Csizmadia and Agnes Anna Kiss and Bianka Nagy among the other Hungarians seeking top honours.
Full coverage of the ICF Canoe Sprint World Cups can be viewed on the Planet Canoe YouTube channel.
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