The opening day of action in Tacen delivered big surprises, home joy, a stunning comeback from an Olympic champion and the emergence of a rising star.
Italy’s Xabier Ferrazzi and home favourite Eva Alina Hocevar produced stunning performances to win their first-ever gold medals at the International Canoe Federation Canoe Slalom World Cup.
Australia’s Jessica Fox bagged silver on her return to international action, while there were also medals for Poland’s Michal Pasiut, Czechia’s Jakub Krejci and Spain’s Maialen Chourraut.
Here’s what the medallists had to say after the action.
Click here for live startlists and results from Tacen
Men’s Kayak
Xabier Ferrazzi (Italy – gold)
I’m super happy. Finally, I delivered what I’ve been looking for over the last few years. The final was really fun. I think the middle section of the run was my strongest part, and the last section too. In the first split I wasn’t the fastest, but as the run flowed, I felt like I was gaining time. I’m very happy.
Michal Pasiut (Poland – silver)
It’s been a while - actually eight years, if I remember correctly (that I won a medal) - so I’m really happy with this. I’ll definitely celebrate it. I think the gates were excellent. They really let us go for it and did a great job with the setup, so everyone could show their level. As for my best part on the course, I think the top section was really good. My moves were strong, especially through the second and third upstream gates, and I’m happy with how I handled the fourth gate as well.
Jakub Krejci (Czechia – bronze)
I really enjoyed the run. It was solid overall, with just a few small mistakes. I wasn’t even sure whether my best possible run here would be enough for the podium, so this feels really nice. I’m also so happy for Xabier. The course was quite tricky. Some of the gates were in difficult places, and I was honestly worried about the first two because there were so many changes happening there. But once I got going, I really enjoyed the run. I had a lot of fun out there and I’ve got really good feelings about it.
Women’s Kayak
Eva Alina Hocevar (Slovenia – gold)
It's my first-ever gold medal at a World Cup. I've never won before, and to win the first one at home in Tacen is just amazing. It was a dramatic day. I made a big mistake at gate three in the first round, and I thought it wouldn’t be enough to make it to the final. I thought that if I did make it, I needed to think about this and put down a round I am capable of. After combining two, three and four, I just found my flow, and it was amazing. I am really happy that I won and Xavi won. It is history for us as it is our first World Cup medal.
Jessica Fox (Australia – silver)
This is probably the first time a silver medal has felt like a gold medal to me. Just getting to the start line today was the biggest challenge. To put down two solid runs - they weren’t perfect, but they were good enough - and make the final made me really happy. Then to back it up with another good run in the final feels amazing. I lost a little bit of time in a couple of gates, but honestly, I can’t complain. It’s my first race back, and I’ve been dealing with a wrist injury, so I’ve had to manage that carefully. It’s just wonderful to be back racing and to start this way. As for more medals this weekend, we’ll start with this one first. I’m trying to manage my load because I want to race all three events, but obviously the World Championships are the priority. For me, it was important just to get here, race, and do the best I could. So I’m really happy to take this silver medal, and I’m also really stoked for Eva [Alina Hocevar]. She looked so happy after her run and she put down a fantastic performance.”
Maialen Chourraut (Spain – bronze)
I’m very happy. I made a few little mistakes, but I also hit all the key moves, so I’m happy with that. To still be here competing at 43 is amazing, and it’s incredible to start the international season like this. I’m having a really good time on the water at the moment, so why not keep going? I think the best part of my race was how I felt with my body position and my final positioning through the gates. That’s something I’ve really been focusing on, and I managed to do it well today. Of course, there were still some mistakes - this is a very difficult course for me - but I’m really happy. And tomorrow my daughter will do her first national race, which makes this even more special.
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