The outstanding performances give hope for further success at the upcoming European and World Championships.Continue reading
Following their recent successes, our athletes remain unbeatable: with seven gold, three silver, and five bronze medals, the Hungarian national team finished at the top of the medal table at the ECA Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe European Championships in Račice, Czechia.
Right from the start of the Championships, Hungarian athletes made it clear that they aim to be among the frontrunners. Bálint Kopasz secured a bronze medal in the K1 (kayak singles) 1,000m on Saturday. “You cannot always win, but I can look back on a confident performance,” he said, expressing his satisfaction despite finishing third.
Para-canoeists also contributed to the Hungarian delegation’s success. Péter Pál Kiss, two-time Paralympic champion in kayaking, won the KL1 200 meters with ease. Despite the fact that this victory is not technically considered a European Championship title because there were too few participating nations, his supremacy was unmistakable. Róbert Suba, a Paralympic medalist in kayaking, finished third in the same event.
The women’s K4 squad in the 500-meter race, consisting of Sára Fojt, Noémi Pupp, Laura Ujfalvi, and Emese Kőhalmi, confidently defended their title, winning gold.
We are overjoyed and can hardly believe that the gold medal is ours,”
said Fojt.
Anna Lucz showed nerves of steel in the 200-meter K1. After failing in the preliminary heat, she fought her way back and successfully defended her title, winning the gold medal.
Less satisfied, but still on the podium, were the women’s C2 team of Ágnes Kiss and Bianka Nagy, who won bronze in the 200 meters. “We are not entirely satisfied with the result, but I am happy with our time; we have never been that fast in the 200 meters before,” said Bianka Nagy, commenting on their third place finish.
Saturday and Sunday brought more medals. Zsóka Csikós excelled twice, winning gold in the K1 in the 1,000m and the 500m race.
I was a little nervous before the start, but I was confident that I had to be in the lead based on the World Cup results,”
said the two-time winner happily.
Ádám Varga continued his winning streak as two-time defending champion, winning gold in the K1 500m. “No victory is a given. I am happy that I was able to continue the streak,” said the 25-year-old athlete.
The newly introduced mixed C1 team with Réka Opavszky, Kristóf Kollár, István Juhász, and Zsófia Csorba won a remarkable silver medal in the 500m race. On the final day on Sunday, Réka Opavszky secured another silver medal in the C1 500-meter.
I would have signed up for these two silver medals in advance,”
she said, looking back on the weekend with satisfaction.
The Hungarian athletes also secured three bronze medals in the Olympic 500-meter pair competitions. The C2 teams of Ágnes Kiss – Bianka Nagy and Kristóf Kollár – István Juhász, as well as the K2 squad of Blanka Kiss – Anna Lucz, all stood on the podium.
The long-distance races rounded off a successful weekend. Canoeist Zsófia Csorba won gold in the C1 5,000m. Kayaker Zsóka Csikós also took gold, while Ádám Varga secured silver in the K1 5,000m.
Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Szigetváry Zsolt