John Gregory | @gregiej | Sportscene - The French connection still dominates canoe slalom at this mid-point 2 years before we race on the new Rio Olympic slalom course. Here is a round-up of the 2014 season and what to expect in 2015.

Statistically speaking Jess Fox (AUS) and Boris Neveu (FRA) were the best performing athletes in 2014. Jess broke new records winning K1W and C1W World titles at the same event. Fabien Lefevre (USA) achieved something unique with World Championship medals in all three categories (K1M, C2 and C1M). Lefevre’s gold also marked the first US World Champion since Rebecca Giddens at Bourg St Maurice in 2002.

In my 'The French Connection' Deep Creek Worlds review I highlighted the phenomenal sustained performance of 46-year old Stepanka Hilgertova (CZE) who competed in the ’89 Savage Worlds and made the final in Deep Creek 25 years later. David Ford (CAN) was the only other athlete to have similarly raced in both World Championships.

The French Canoe Kayak Federation has retained the most athletes across the ICF canoe slalom rankings. They had incredible 1-2-3 at Deep Creek Worlds in K1M, while in C2 they were 1-2-3 in both heats of the C2 qualification. Consequently, they topped the medal table at Deep Creek Worlds, and they had also collected the most medals at the Prague Worlds in 2013.

Click here to see the overall medal table from 2014 individual classes at World Cup and World Championships.

Consolidated summary of key race winners (correct as of Dec 1 2014)

C1M
Despite Michal Martikan’s (SVK) stunning consistency and improvements through the World Cup series, which he rightly won, he is not at his untouchable best and failed to make the Worlds final for the second year in succession. 

Prague Worlds defending champion David Florence (GBR) was not a strong contender at the Deep Creek Worlds. He started 2014 with a win at the first World Cup race at Lee Valley followed up with two more silvers to finish 2nd in the World Cup series behind Martikan.

Fabien Lefevre’s World Championship win brought C1M gold back to American soil 25-years after Jon Lugbill’s Ultimate Run on Garrett County’s Savage river.
Levfevre aside, the C1M class is super tight between Martikan-Florence-Slafkovsky-Benus-Gargaud Chanut. Unlike Prague there were 2 boats from outside Europe in the Deep Creek Worlds final.

C1W
Jessica Fox (AUS) was able to transfer her excitement at competing in her home U23 Worlds into gold followed with an amazing win at the Senior Words in Deep Creek. It is not unreasonable to assume she would have also have won the 2014 World Cup series had she competed in Augsburg.

Mallory Franklin (GBR), Ros Lawrence (AUS) and Caroline Loir (FRA) each won one of the key senior/U23 races in 2014, while Katerina Hoskova (CZE) secured the World Cup series title.

K1M
The German K1M did not dominate in quite the same way as they had in 2013. Sebastien Schubert (GER) still won the World Cup series for the second consecutive season. However, the French team were remarkably strong and secured an impressive sweep of the podium at Deep Creek.

Boris Neveu (FRA) won the World Championship, one World Cup race, one silver, and lowest finish 9th. He finished 5th overall in World Cup series. He was 11th at Prague Worlds.

This season was marred by injury for Peter Kauzer (SLO), Vavra Hradilek (CZE) and Daniele Molmenti (ITA). Daniele suffered whiplash from a rear-end car shunt just before Worlds and had to opt out of the race in Deep Creek. It was good to still see him on the bank. “It is tight battle through whole season, so you gotta be injury free!” Vavra had remarked back in January.

K1W
Although Corinna Kuhnle (AUT) has no.1 ICF K1W ranking although she didn’t actually win a race in 2014, or 2013 in fact, but still took the overall 2014 World Cup series. She did win two semi-finals at the World Cup races. 

Jessica Fox (AUS) was so lightening quick on the bottom section of the course in Deep Creek to take a legendary gold in K1W 25 years after her Mum, Myriam Jerusalmi won on the neighbouring Savage River for France.

There were no wins in 2014 for reigning Olympic Champion Emilie Fer (FRA). She had been tipped by Sebastian Schubert, describing her “to be very strong on this [Deep Creek] water and …. always able to make a podium finish”.

C2
Peter & Ladislav Skantar (SVK) were exceptionally strong through the World Cup series and deserved the title. One of our Deep Creek podium predictions was Luka Bozic & Saso Taljat who became Slovenia’s first C2 World Champions.

In a repeat of 2013, the season proved an exclusive one for the European boats, with no nation outside Europe making any final at World Cup or World Championships. U23 McEwan/ Eichfeld (USA) are the highest ranked C2 crew from outside Europe and the most improved crew in C2 rankings [52 in 2011, 40 in 2012, 30 in 2013 and 21 in 2014].

British Olympic C2 champion Etienne Stott has now partnered with Mark Proctor and performed well at the autumn domestic season. GB selection will be fiercely contested in 2015 ahead of the home Worlds.

Consolidated summary of winners of the heat, semi-final and final at Worlds and World Cup races (including a percentage analysis) - Download here.

2014 U23 & Junior rising stars
12 months ago at the end of 2013 we were watching new U23 paddlers who had come to the fore; Jessica Fox (AUS), Jiri Prskavec (CZE), Mallory Franklin (GBR), Nouria Newman (FRA), and Jonas Kasper & Marek Sindler (CZE).

Several U23 continue to rise very fast through 2014; Jiri Prskavec (CZE) in K1M, Luka Bozic (SLO) in C1M, Ricarda Funk (GER) in K1W and McEwan/Eichfeld (USA) in C2.

Among the Junior athletes; World Junior K1W champion, Ana Satila (BRA) is now ICF ranked 16th in C1W and 46th in K1W. Junior C1M Florian Breuer (GER) is now ICF world rank 66th after a terrific 22nd in the Deep Creek semi-final. He was also 24th at his home Augsburg World Cup race and is became 2014 Junior World Champion in Penrith.

Final Reflections
I started the year commenting in my Sportscene season preview anticipating of the Senior Worlds in North America and Junior/U23 Worlds in Australia. If in 2014 you were an accomplished slalom paddler then I hope you had a good season. Alternatively if were completely new to canoeing then I hope Sportscene has encouraged you to pick up any shape of paddle for the first time or start following competitive paddlesports in the (online) media.

I have a question on the evolution of judging. At the Deep Creek World’s we saw several changes in athlete’s penalties most notably Fabien Lefevre. Does this prove the system is working exactly as it should or does it point to an issue to be addressed for the future? I hope to report an ICF perspective.

New world champions, new personal bests, while for me; 18 articles, one book review, 2,000 live race tweets @gregiej and a nomination for the World Paddle Awards Media Ambassador 2014. I am truly honoured.

2015 holds much promise, with April’s U23/Junior Worlds in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil, Senior Worlds on the Lee Valley course in London, Pan Am Games on the Gull River, Minden, Canada and the World Paddle Awards in Augsburg in May. We also have some different World Cup venues including Krakow, Liptovsky Mikulas and the World Cup final in Pau, France.

Photographers: Peter Prazenka, Jess Fox, Balint Vekassy