Sportscene | John Gregory | @gregiej – The 2015 ICF World Cup series gets underway with paddlers from 45 federations racing in Prague. It is a consistent venue in the calendar that has regularly hosted World Cup races and the recent 2013 Worlds. The Troja course is never to be under-estimated despite the familiarity of the venue and paddlers happiness about returning to Prague. The run times are quick, tight and expect more than the usual surprise 50-second penalties. Last year’s 78.29 second run by Vit Prindis seems the quickest run time on record.  

It is the first major senior ICF race after some hotly contested selection races across many countries. The Czech team are always strong and never more so than on their home water. They also had the most medals from the combined Foz Junior/U23 individual and team races.

The 2014 overall World Cup champions were Michal Martikan, Katerina Hoskova, Sebastian Schubert, Corinna Kuhnle and Peter/Ladimar Skantar. See the full table here of reigning champions.

K1M
Jiri Prskavec (CZE) will start as K1M U23 World Champion after his astonishingly quick 82.96 seconds clear run in the final in Foz do Iguassu, Brazil, by a margin of 3.46 seconds. It was a shocker not to see Prskavec, Schubert or Tunka in the European Championship final. Could ICF World Number 1, Sebastian Schubert (GER) win the World Cup series for a third straight year? Earlier this month he said; “In this year I changed my race plan from the last years, I will not take part at all 5 World Cups, I will race in Prague, Krakow and Pau. Our German Canoe Federation decided to send the U23 Team to the World Cup in La Seu, and I decided to skip Liptovski for one week of good training at home. I will try to focus on the World Championships in London with a lot of training camps in advance of the race instead of fighting for the overall World Cup”.

It was disappointing through the 2014 to have some of the top athletes out through injury. We are pleased to have London Olympic champion Daniele Molmenti (ITA), former double World champion Peter Kauzer (SLO) and 2013 World Champion Vavra Hradilek (CZE) back on form and racing in 2015. Hradilek, 28, described being out from injury last year; “I am more then excited to get started racing once again. On top of that the series kicks off in Prague, my hometown. I did not have best pre-season, but still feel very good on the water and I am expecting to be able to progress into finals at most of races. That is also my goal. With a new racing system, there are not many racing runs if you not qualify for final. And all I want is to enjoy racing from my cockpit, not from the banks!”

Last year’s race winners of the heat, semi-final and final were Vit Prindis (CZE), Michael Smolen (USA) and Hannes Aigner (GER) respectively.

K1W
World Paddle Awards winner Jess Fox (AUS) remains on consistent form. Fox returns to Europe from a short spell back home for the World Cup series as reigning Senior & U23 World Champion.

2014 Prague World Cup winner, Richard Funk (GER) was unable to defend her European title despite winning the qualification and semi-final. The European title was won by Spain’s London bronze medallist Maialen Chourraut, who is absent for this first World Cup race.

After what she described as an almost perfect final run in Markkleeberg Melanie Pfeifer (GER) Deep Creek Worlds bronze medallist shared from Lee Valley, “This season I will start at four of five World Cups (Prague, Krakow, Liptovsky Mikulas and Pau). For me every World Cup offers a chance to simulate the competition situation for Worlds. I feel strong and fit for the season and I am really looking forward the World Cup Tour, especially the Final Cup in Pau, where I won my first World Cup medal in 2009.”

Local legend Stepenka Hilgertova makes the Czech team again, “For me it is a big challenge to keep up with the younger girls and with all the changes and development of our sport.” Hilgertova first won a World Cup series in 1992. She again made last year’s World Cup final at home and took the third step of the podium.

Among other favourites, we know that Prague World Champion and London Olympic Champion Emilie Fer (FRA) is strong on this course. Four-time World Cup series winner Jana Dukatova (SVK) also commented, “I think the Canoe Slalom World Cup series is a kind of "long distance" race. It's not about one run, one race. To win the series you need to be in a good shape for a longer time and you need to show your skills on different courses. That's what I really like about it.”

C1M
Prague race winner in 2014 was Michal Martikan (SVK) who managed to hold off 2013 Prague World Champion David Florence (GBR). Markkleeberg European champion Benjamin Savsek (SLO) was also the heat winner last year.

It is disappointing to learn that reigning C1M World Champion Fabien Lefevre (USA) is not expected to race the 2015 World Cup series.

C1W
Local Katerina Hoskova, 30, races as the defending C1W World Cup champion. Jess Fox (AUS) fell victim to cutting the lines too tight and incurring one of the many 50-second penalties.

Ros Lawrence (AUS) was the winner in Prague last year who told Sportscene that she was excited to see some new race venues on the World Cup circuit this year. 

Nuria Vilarrubla (ESP) secured an impressive win in Foz at the U23 Worlds. The British ladies of Kimberley Woods, Mallory Franklin and Eilidh Gibson while consistently making the finals as they did in Markkleeberg are not racing in Prague. Instead 22-year old 2013 Bratislava World Cup final bronze medallist Jasmine Royle represents British Canoeing.

C2
This class is still vastly competitive. Behling/Becker (GER) picked up their first senior stage win with last month’s European Championship gold. They edged out Anton/Benzien (GER) in the final. Unusually, Peter & Pavol Hockschorner were the only Slovakian boat in the final. A title they had first won back in 1998 in Roudnice!

Last year’s World Champions Luka Bozic & Saso Taljat (SLO) were also on the podium at the 2014 Prague World Cup. The race was dominated by Ladislav & Peter Skantar (SVK) who won the heat, semi-final and final. Watch out too for Olympic Champion Etienne Stott (GBR) who returns to the World stage with new C2 partner Mark Proctor.

In the U23 World Championship final in Foz we saw not just one but seven boats from outside Europe. This marks a watershed in C2 paddling at this level.

Download summary key race winners

Race Schedule:

• Friday June 19 - Heats C1M, C1W, K1M, K1W & C2M
• Saturday June 20 – Semi-final & final C1M, C1W, K1M plus team race
• Sunday June 21 – Semi-final & final K1W & C2M plus teams

Look out for the exhilarating Boater Cross race or scenic city paddle. You can visit the Prague World Cup website here. I will be providing live race tweets through the World Cup races using #ICFslalom all season. Follow me @gregiej.

Photo credits: Franz Anton, Sportscene