After Tuesday’s opening ceremony in Sondrio (Valtellina, Italy) the first race day displayed the 400 athletes at the World Champs in Boffetto for the Downriver: a section of 4.5 km in Adda river assigned the first golden points.
Japan made their debut in WRF competitions and it is an explosive start: after setting the best time in the RX qualification Japan men 1 spotted the first position with Taro hando, Tohru Kanaya, Akira Nakano, Satoshi Koizumi, Keita Yagisawa paddling with an excellent time of 20’52.27. “We came prepared, but we didn’t expect the WRF race rafts to be so aggressive, they have a smooth and exciting reaction to the flow.”
Japan 1 men - Downriver gold
With a gap of almost 27 seconds Brasil 1, the PanAmerican champions William Ferraz, Thiago Diniz Barne Ganeo, Murilo Torres, Pedro Aversa and Thiago Saldanha Serra take the silver with 21’19.26.
Carlo Benciolini, Riccardo Colombo, Giordy Sarteur and Sabino Seka - Italy 2 secures third with 21’22.95.
In the women category the local team with 3 athletes from Valtellina, competing in their home run, brought home the gold: Italy 1 - Sara Amonini, Francesca Fontanive, Francesca Leonardi and Silvia Venturini stopped the chronometer at 22’36.02.
"Playing at home is strange, more pressure but the satisfacion is priceless: it is definitley better to win in our home run rather than abroad"
Italy 1 women
A gap of 13 seconds put Japan 1 women team in the second position: Masayo Abe, Hiromi Asai, Hanako Ita and Machiko Nakahashi on the silver step of the podium.
Third step of the podium, with 23'00.53 for Czech Republic Zdenka Fingrova, Anna Kasparova, Blanka Martinkova, Karolina Kocmanova annd Lenka Bauerova.
Also Para-Rafting teams are drawing smooth lines through the Adda rapids as the level keeps growing:
Downriver gold stays home thanks to Italy 2 of Italy with 2 22’20.88: Pietro Fratton, Riccardo Colombo, Rosario Sperandini and Paolo Bertello.
Italy 2 - Para-Rafting
Italy 1 22'47.27 , for only 2 seconds, gets the silver: Carlo Benciolini, Marco Montagna, Rosario Sperandini and Paolo Bertello.
Third place for Chile 1 25'27.51 Franco Rodriguez, Rodrigo Toledo, Matias Cavieres and Sebastian Acevedo.
Last but not least, with 23 teams, the mix category: the podium is all for the Azzurri, racing at home:
Italy 122'12.82 Fabio Martini, Dario Morandi, Francesca Leonardi and Sara Amonini
Italy 2 22'22.89 Lorenzo Mastella, Zeno Martini, Giada Debon and Maria Martini
Italy 3 22'35.50 Giulia Liuzzo, Luca Liuzzo, Giacomo Schettino and Alejandra Gazzola.
