The national team collected a total of twenty medals: seven gold, five silver, and eight bronze.Continue reading
The Hungarian canoe-kayak delegation finished the World Cup in Poznan, Poland, with an impressive result, winning the medal standings with aplomb. With eight gold, five silver, and four bronze medals, Hungary underlined its supremacy in the international sport of kayaking and canoeing. The competition also served as an important stage for qualifying for the upcoming European Championships in Račice, Czech Republic in June, and the World Championships in Milan, Italy in August.
The Hungarian athletes already showed their strength on Friday and secured one gold, three silver, and two bronze medals. A special highlight was the victory of Ágnes Kiss and Bianka Nagy in the women’s C2 (canoe double) on 500 meters.
After their triumph at the World Cup in Szeged the previous week, the two Hungarians were once again unstoppable.
Despite a strong start from the Chinese and Canadian opponents, they took the lead halfway through the race and maintained their advantage to the finish.
In the men’s K4 (kayak four), the quartet of Bence Nádas, Hunor Hidvégi, Zalán Hidvégi, and Gergő Keller also impressed the fans, finishing second only just behind the German Olympic champions after a restart. In the same event, the team of Márk Opavszky, Bence Fodor, Gergely Balogh, and Zsombor Tamási made a remarkable comeback, finishing fourth despite initial steering problems and battling for a podium place.
In the women’s K1 1000m, the two Hungarian starters reached the final, with Zsóka Csikós winning silver and Eszter Rendessy taking fourth place. As in Szeged, the victory went to New Zealand’s Aimee Fisher. There were two Hungarian medals in the men’s K1 200m: Kolos Csizmadia won silver after a thrilling duel with Norway’s Gunnar Nydal Eide, while Balázs Birkás took the bronze medal. The sixth medal of the day was contributed by canoeist Dániel Fejes, who won bronze in the men’s C1 500m, despite falling back slightly at the start.
Saturday brought further success for the Hungarian team, who won four more medals.
Particularly noteworthy was Bálint Kopasz’s renewed victory in the men’s K1 1000m. The defending Olympic, World and European champion proved his impressive form in Poznan. After a fast start, he led the field and prevailed in the final sprint against strong Czech Josef Dostál, who had to settle for silver.
The duo of Ágnes Kiss and Bianka Nagy achieved another commanding victory, winning the C2 200m sprint distance after their success in the 500m event on Friday.
The Hungarians were also successful in the para-finals. Two-time Paralympic champion Péter Pál Kiss secured silver in the KL1 200m, while Róbert Suba won bronze in the same discipline.
Sunday crowned the successful weekend with a double success in the men’s K1 on 500 meters. Ádám Varga won gold, closely followed by Bence Nádas, who took silver. The two top Hungarian athletes fought a thrilling duel, with Ádám Varga coming out on top in the final sprint.
There was another gold medal for the delegation in the women’s C4 500m, when the quartet consisting of Ágnes Kiss, Bianka Nagy, Réka Opavszky, and Zsófia Csorba triumphed. This was the third gold medal in Poznan for Kiss and Nagy.
There was also reason to celebrate in the K2 500m. The duo of Blanka Kiss and Anna Lucz won bronze to return from Poland with a valuable medal. The World Cup ended with the 5000-meter races in the afternoon, in which Zsófia Csorba and Balázs Adolf triumphed in canoeing and Zsóka Csikós in kayaking.
The outstanding performances in Poznan underline the excellent condition of the Hungarian kayak-canoe team and give hope for further success at the upcoming European and World Championships.
Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Czeglédi Zsolt