First World Cup victory for Pankova, French canoe dominance
The second day of the Canoe Slalom World Cup in Prague was dedicated to the canoeists. Zuzana Pankova celebrated her first-ever victory in the World Cup series, while the men’s canoe final ended in dramatic fashion with Nicolas Gestin taking the win by just three hundredths of a second. Yesterday’s winner, Gabriela Satkova, finished fourth in front of the home crowd, while the only Czech finalist among the men, Adam Král, came in ninth.
Saturday’s program in Prague’s Troja kicked off with the C1 qualification rounds, from which the top twelve athletes advanced to the final. Zuzana Pankova paddled her way to her first-ever World Cup win.
"I'm really happy. I hoped my time would hold up, but you never know. It was important for me to focus on my own run, and it worked out. Thanks to all the fans and my family," said the 20-year-old Slovak representative. Second place went to Slovenia’s Eva Alina Hočevar, while German paddler Andrea Herzog finished third.
The only Czech finalist, yesterday’s winner Gabriela Satkova, took the unfortunate fourth place. “I’d say today the key was to take more risks, and I think I played it a bit too safe. But one day you’re good, the next you’re not. And that’s what I like—it grounds you, makes you reflect, and motivates you to keep working. Of course, I’m disappointed to finish fourth in front of the home crowd, but the world won’t end because of it," commented Gabriela Satkova.
A major sensation in Saturday’s program came from the trio of French canoeists. Nicolas Gestin, Mewen Debliquy, and Yohhan Senechault finished within just eight hundredths of a second of each other. "I think we made history today because I can’t recall a time when three Frenchmen took the top three spots in a World Cup. It’s amazing to share the podium with them, and I’m really thrilled," said current Olympic champion Gestin.
From the Czech team, Adam Král advanced to the final from 12th place, making his World Cup debut. "It’s great, I’m really enjoying it. I loved the run, the fans were fantastic, and it’s been a great experience. I wanted to push harder than in the qualifiers, take more risks, try to go faster. But it didn’t go quite as smoothly as I hoped, and by the finish, I was already running out of steam," said Král of his ninth-place result.
The program continues with qualification and final rounds for the women’s and men’s kayak events.
Photo: Jaroslav Svoboda, Barbora Reichova