Krejci adds a second gold in Troja, Prindis celebrates silver

The final day of the World Cup in Prague-Troja brought double medal joy for the home crowd. After two winning slalom runs, Jakub Krejci also dominated the kayak cross elimination rounds, adding a second gold medal from the elite World Cup series to his collection. He was joined on the podium by fellow Czech Vit Prindis, who claimed silver. The women’s final was won by France’s Camille Prigent.

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“I’m incredibly happy; it was great. I managed it without too many unnecessary battles, but the start played a huge role,” said Krejci at the finish. “Vitek and I knew that even if one of us made a mistake, we would still have at least one medal, which gives you peace of mind. We raced with a clear head. And thank goodness we have such great commentators – after the third gate I heard that there was a big gap behind Vitek, and that if we both took our own gate, we could pull away from the other two guys,” explained the two-time World Cup gold medallist when describing his race strategy.

“It’s a great consolation after Friday’s race, which from my perspective didn’t go well. I felt just as good then as I did today and knew I had what it takes,” said Prindis. “I’m happy that I was able to put on a good show for the spectators and prove that I’m not ready for the scrap heap yet, especially in a discipline where the young guys dominate and are extremely fast. And I’m showing that I’m still a little bit fast as well,” he added with a smile.
The bronze medal went to France’s Mathurin Madore. The third Czech competitor in the men’s event, Matyas Novak, narrowly missed out on the final and finished fifth overall.

In the women’s competition, the situation was far more dramatic from the Czech perspective. Olga Samkova injured both ankles after an awkward landing from the start ramp in the quarterfinals and required medical attention after the race. Neither time-trial winner Katerina Bekova nor Tereza Kneblova, who had been fifth in the individual race, managed to advance beyond the same elimination stage.

Camille Prigent celebrated her first-ever Kayak Cross World Cup gold medal, building on the silver medal she won in Troja last year. “I really love it here. It’s the best event on the World Cup circuit. The spectators are amazing, they cheer for everyone, and the atmosphere is simply fantastic,” said the French paddler. She was joined on the podium by Poland’s Klaudia Zwolinska, who took silver, and Germany’s Ricarda Funk, who claimed bronze.