Peter Kauzer took back his crown today earning his second World Championship title in Men's K1 Men's at this years International Canoe Federation Canoe Slalom World Championship.

Kauzer was flawless as he charged down the course and particularly nailed the make-or-break last up-gate just after the final big, signature drop on the Cunovo course.

Before he started, Kauzer said he could here from the loudspeaker that times weren't improving so he knew he had a chance for a medal. His focus was on the sequence at Gates 14 - 16 where he felt he had room to shave some time from his semifinal run . . . and did. 

Kauzer was thrilled, perhaps even more than his Gold today, by the fact his Gold earns him a berth to next year's Olympics. Reluctant to think too far ahead at who will be gunning for himin London, Kauzer said sinply that he hopes to be going up against the very best paddlers.

Making his first trip to a World Championship podium in an individual event was Mateusz Polaczyk of Poland, who posted a clean 97.22 to take Silver. Polacczyk's last trip to a Worlds medal ceremony was 2006, when he took bronze in the Men's K1 Team event.

Taking his second of a fistful of medals from this Worlds was Fabien Lefevre (FRA). Yesterday, LeFevre took silver in the C2 Men's Championship. Lefevre later went on to win Gold with his partner Denis Gargaud Chanut in the Men's C2 event and followed that up with Silver in the Men's K1 Team event.

Defending champ Daniele Molmenti (ITA) finished fourth, just out of the medals, relinquishing his title to Kauzer, the man he took it from last year and setting up the potential for the ultimate showdown in London next year.

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K1 Semifinal recap​

The morning's semi started out with plenty of drama as 4 of the top 10 men from the semifinals failed to advance to the final including Slovakian medal hopeful Martin Halcin. 

Halcin succumbed to the lower technical stretch of the course between gates 14 and 16 

where he incurred a 50-point penalty. Holding his head in his hands at the finish line, Halcin was obviously painfully aware his error had cost him a berth in the final.

After the semi, Molmenti said both the Gate 8 - 9 - 10 series and the 14 - 15 - 16 are the toughest parts of the course today but he gave the edge to the lower gates as the most technical and potentially dangerously penalty-laden stretch of the course. 

Another surprise from the morning was the rise to the top of the leaderboard of unheralded Frenchman Boris Neveu. Neveu is not entirely unknown. He's had a string of second-place finishes to his name, including from the 2009 World and European Championships and in Markkleeberg on this year’s World Cup circuit, so he's hungry for his first big K1 win at the international level. Neveu was on track to win Gold with the fastest time on the water in the final until the last three gates when, to his great and obvious anguish, he incurred a 50-second penalty and finished ninth.