The wait is finally over. The whitewater of Pau stadium, France, exploded into action today as the Junior and U23 World Championships alongside the Senior World Cup took off with the Sprint discipline, providing a rigorous test of explosive power and technical synchronisation for the 80 international teams in attendance.
The competition took place on a demanding 350-meter whitewater venue, known for its continuous rapids. Under the official race format, each team run two timed heats pushing to follow the fastest line in the river. The final rankings were adjudicated based on the single fastest time recorded by each team across their two runs.
The margins for error were non-existent and the top podium spots were decided by fractions of a second, demonstrating the precision required at the elite level.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS JUNIOR & U23
The next generation of rafting made a powerful statement, with standout performances across all categories.
In the Men U19 race, Czechia 1 (Ondřej Procházka, Vojtěch Slušný, Jakub Hanuš, Jáchym Fröhlich) claimed gold ahead of Athlètes Individuels Neutres 1, while Italy 1 secured bronze. The Women U19 category saw Athlètes Individuels Neutres dominate the podium, taking both first (Anastasiia Nikitina, Armacheva Ekaterina, Galonskaia Iuliia, Soloveva Irina) and second place, with France 1 earning a strong third-place finish on home water.
Italy 1 (Luca Liuzzo, Boscia Duccio, Giacomo Schettino, Matteo Lancellotti) emerged as a dominant force in the Men U23 Sprint, taking gold ahead of Czechia 1 and Türkiye 1. In the Women U23 race, Athlètes Individuels Neutres 1 (Akinina Anastasiia, Kapnina Kira, Anishchuk Eva, Arkhipova Anastasiia) topped the standings, followed by Czechia 1 and Italy 1.
The Mixed U23 category delivered one of the loudest moments of the day, as France 1 (Mathilde Hostyn, Eliott Arnauld de Sartre, Louis Bernard, Charlotte Levacon) thrilled the home crowd with a victory, finishing ahead of Italy and Athlètes Individuels Neutres.
WORLD CUP SENIOR
The Senior World Cup races brought an extra layer of intensity, with experienced crews pushing the limits on every run.
In the Men’s event, France 1 delivered a commanding performance to take the win, followed by Brazil 2 and Brazil 3. The Women’s race was won by Rafting Team Verona/Garfagnana Rafting, ahead of Athlètes Individuels Neutres 1 and Great Britain’s Notts Raft Racing Ladies.
Spain claimed victory in the Para-Rafting category, underlining the growing strength and inclusivity of the sport on the world stage.
In the Mixed category, Rafting Team Verona secured first place, with Brazil 2 finishing second and Ivrea Canoa Club/Garfagnana Rafting rounding out the podium.
With the Sprint discipline concluded, the focus now shifts to the tactical challenges of the RX. Sprint's times not only determined the winners today but secured the spots for Saturday RX: knock-out phase.
