The new season started in sensational fashion in Szeged as it played host to a gripping first International Canoe Federation Canoe Sprint World Cup of the year.
There were epic finishes, dominant displays and even some toilet drama crammed into three thrilling days of competition in the Hungarian city.
Let’s look back and pick out five things we learned from this exciting World Cup.
Click here for all the results from Szeged
1. Photo finishes underline fight for Olympic places
With the Olympic qualification period now officially open, it was clear to see the intensity ramp up as paddlers battled for every single ranking point they could get hold of.
It made for absorbing viewing as races were often decided by the smallest of margins.
You needed a microscope to determine some of the contests with the medal positions separated by thousandths of seconds.
Among those was the women’s kayak four 500m final as China edged Spain by 0.02, while Germany overcame Hungary by a mere 0.04 to clinch the men’s kayak double 500m title.
There was even a dead heat in the men’s canoe single 1000m final after Martin Fuksa of Czechia and Individual Neutral Athlete Zakhar Petrov both crossed in 3:41.46.
2. Toilet trouble and two K2 titles
It has been an eventful week for the German team.
They welcomed back Tom Leibscher-Lucz into the K4 boat, but he almost did not reach the startline.
Just half an hour before the semi-final, the three-time Olympic champion found himself stuck in a toilet cubicle. After breaking the door, Leibscher-Lucz helped Germany reach the final.
It ended in disappointment for the German Olympic gold medallists as they finished in fifth position. Germany’s women’s quartet also came away without a medal.
But after the frustration of the K4 came the delight of the K2.
Jacob Schopf and Max Lemke, the Olympic champions, overcame home favourites Levente Kurucz and Bence Fodor in a pulsating battle that was decided by a photo finish.
This was then swiftly followed by a superb victory for Paulina Paszek and Pauline Jagsch in the women’s K2 final.
3. Could this be Drobot’s year?
Last year, Poland’s Anna Pulawska asserted herself as the new leader in the women’s kayak single pack, winning gold medals at World Cups and the World Championships.
This year, Australia’s Natalia Drobot is already making a claim to take that role after a stunning performance in Szeged.
The 21-year-old clinched victory in 1:46.43 as she saw off a late challenge from Aimee Fisher of New Zealand, while Pulawska came third.
While Pulawska had to settle for bronze, another star of 2025, Luidmyla Luzan, continued from where she left off.
Luzan of Ukraine was in imperious form as she powered to women’s canoe single 200m gold in a final featuring two Olympic champions in Katie Vincent of Canada and Nevin Harrison of the United States.
The Ukrainian also teamed up with the returning Anastsiia Rybachok to secure the women’s canoe double 500m crown.
4. Pimenta proving doubters wrong
After a disappointing outing in Szeged last year, Fernando Pimenta revealed that he had seen comments from people questioning whether he should finish his career.
One year later, Pimenta is showing those doubters that you simply cannot write him off.
The 36-year-old two-time Olympic medallists was on fire in Szeged over the weekend as he overcame Hungary’s Balint Kopasz to win men’s K1 1000m gold.
Two days later, Pimenta topped the podium again. This time, it was in the men’s K1 5000m as he defeated Denmark’s Mads Brandt Pedersen.
It is a huge boost to Pimenta’s confidence as he kickstarts his quest to represent Portugal again at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028.
5. China beat hosts Hungary to take top spot
There were plenty of reasons for the home crowd to cheer as they celebrated 15 medals including three golds, eight silvers and four bronzes over the three days of competition.
The first of their gold medals came in the men’s K4 500m as Kurucz, Fodor, Bence Nadas and Sandor Totka emerged victorious.
Zsoka Csikos dominated the women’s K1 1000m before Zsofia Csorba swept to the women’s C1 5000m title.
But it was not the host nation that finished at the top of the medal table.
That position was occupied by China who captured four golds in a 10-strong medal haul.
Mengya Sun won two of those titles, securing top spot in the women’s C1 500m in a world’s best time before teaming up with Shuqi Lil, Li Yang and Yanan Ma to strike women’s canoe four 500m gold.
Bowen Ji also came out on top in the men’s C1 500m, while the Chinese quartet of Shimeng Yu, Mengdie Yin, Nan Wang and Siyu Shen clinched women’s K4 500m gold.
Full coverage of the ICF Canoe Sprint World Cups can be viewed on the Planet Canoe YouTube channel.
Join Planet Canoe's YouTube channel for €9.99 per month to unlock members-only content and features
Related links
