Hungarian Team Triumphs with Fifteen Medals at the Canoe Sprint World Cup

Bálint Kopasz

The Hungarian competitors won two gold and two bronze medals in the 5,000 meters at the 2024 ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup Szeged (in southern Hungary), finishing the event with six first, three second, and six third places. In the Olympic events, the Hungarian team won gold, silver, and bronze medals.

Six of the seven finals featured Hungarian competitors at the 2024 ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup Szeged.

Hungary picked up several gold medals, while there were also wins for Lithuania, Italy, Sweden, and Portugal, among others during the ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup. Adolf Balázs, Bálint Kopasz, Dávid Korisánszky, Ádám Varga, Jonatán Hajdu, Csanád Molnár, Kornél Béke, Zsófia Kisbán, Borka Zagyvai, Réka Kiskó, Ágnes Kiss, and Bianka Nagy achieved multiple positions in both individual and doubles events.

The men’s longest distance canoe race (5,000m) should be highlighted, where the favorite Balázs Adolf secured the gold medal.

In addition, Bálint Kopasz won the 1,000m race for the singles, which probably had the strongest field of the whole weekend with Olympic champion Kopasz, last year’s World Championship runner-up Ádám Varga, the defending World Champion Fernando Pimenta from Portugal, and the 2023 World Championship bronze medalist Jakob Thordsen from Germany. At 500 meters, Kopasz was already in the lead. Behind him, Varga made a great run and managed to overtake the tiring Portuguese by a few centimeters.

This was a double win for Kopasz, after he finished first in the 500m on Saturday.

Furthermore, in the women’s canoe singles 500m race, two Hungarians fought for medals and both were successful. Ágnes Kiss took the lead shortly after the start, and she was already leading by a length and a half at the halfway mark. Although this was slightly reduced towards the end, there was no doubting her victory, with club-mate Bianka Nagy finishing behind.

Representatives from 63 countries competed in the World Cup, which took place from Friday to Sunday.

Results from Saturday:

• Balázs Adolf and Jonatán Hajdu won the bronze medal in the C2 500m.
• Zsófia Kisbán won gold, while Borka Zagyvai won silver in the C1 1,000m event.
• The duo of Réka Kiskó and Kornél Béke secured  a bronze medal in the final of the K2 mixed 500m race.
• Zsófia Kisbán finished first in the C1 1,000m final ahead of Borka Zagyvai.
• The pair of Réka Kiskó and Kornél Béke finished third in the K2 mixed 500m event, as did Adolf and Béke in the men’s K2 event.
• In the men’s C2 500m event, the team of Balázs Adolf and Jonatán Hajdu finished third.
• Dávid Korisánszky won the bronze medal in the C1 200m final.
• Bálint Kopasz secured the gold medal in the K1 500m event.
• Ágnes Kiss and Csanád Molnár won the bronze medal in the C2 mixed 500m final.
• Two bronze medals went to Dávid Korisánszky (C1 200m) and the duo of Ágnes Kiss and Csanád Molnár (C2 500m).
• Bálint Kopasz, the defending World Champion, triumphed in the K1 500m with a great performance.

Results from Sunday:

• Ágnes Kiss won the gold medal and Bianka Nagy the silver medal in the C1 500m final.
• After a great race in the men’s K1 1,000m event, Olympic champion Bálint Kopasz (gold) triumphed ahead of Ádám Varga (silver).
• In the women’s C1 500m event, which is not an Olympic event, Ágnes Kiss won gold ahead of her club-mate Bianka Nagy.
• Zsófia Kisbán and Borka Zagyvai secured gold and bronze medals in the C1 5,000m.
• Balázs Adolf triumphed in the C1 5,000m.
• Vanda Kiszli won the bronze medal in the K1 5,000m.

Via MTI; Featured image via MTI/Szigetváry Zsolt