Riverside Cross attracted the crowd in the centre of Prague again

Hradilek 2Next special challenge for our paddlers coming to the ICF World Cup in Prague. The Riverside Cross Prague competition attracted the sport stars for the sixth time already last Tuesday (3). Competitors needed to fight with the water of Vltava River as well as to show their kills while throwing in the polo gate. The winners became in the K1 women´s category Luuka Jones of New Zealand, Pepe Gonçalves of Brasil among men´s K1, and Vojta Heger of the Czech Republic in C1 men.

JPL 5355The special competition in the centre of Prague attracted the elite canoe slalom compeitotr again. “This year, it was even more challenging because the World Cup has its final in Prague and also, the Olympic selection has started. So it was harder to get the competitors for this race,“ said kayaker Vavřinec Hradilek, one of the organisers and the silver Olympic medallist from London 2012. „So I am very glad that we have Jessica Fox or the Olympic champion Joe Clarke here.“

Relax and chat
The double Olympic medallist and multiple world champion Jessica Fox comes back for this competition every year. „It is a great event, nice weather, nice people and perfect organisation. It is great to be here,“ she said.

Czech paddlers did not miss the event. The elite kayaker Vit Prindis, or former world champion Ondřej Tunka, or the European champion Amálie Hilgertová. “I think it is a great relax before the important event starts during the weekend. Moreover, I can chat with the other competitors, which normally does not work very well during the race as we have trainings in different times,” said Hilgertová.

VIPs on the start

The VIPs competition saw the Olympic cross country skiing champion Kateřina Neumannová or the former athlete Denisa Helceletová. From the next names – decathlete Adam Sebastian Helcelet, biatlonist Michal Krčmář, skier Kryštof Krýz, swimmer Jan Micka or the grandslam winner Andrea Sestini Hlaváčková and climber Klára Kolouchová.