Success Spread Around at Para-Canoe World Championships

Four different nations came away with two first-place finishes apiece at last week’s International Canoe Federation’s (ICF) Para-Canoe Sprint World Championships in Szeged, Hungary.

Brazil, Canada, Hungary and Italy all stood atop the podium twice, as Sandor Szabo (1:02.958) took first place in the V1 men’s 200m final (TA) and Katalin Kajdai (1:26.561) raced to the finish in the K1 women’s 200m (A) for host nation Hungary.

Both Marta Santos (1:04.139) and Fernando Fernandes De Padua (54.340) starred for Brazil, as they won the K1 women’s 200m (LTA) and men’s 200m (TA), respectively.

Canada claimed its victories from Gauthier Christiane (56.125) and Christine Selinger (1:11.882) in the K1 women’s 200m (LTA) and the V1 women’s 200m (LTA).

Italian paddler Stefano Chiozzotto (1:30.792) won the V1 men’s 200m (A) and teammate Sandra Truccolo (1:31.602) was victorious in the V1 women’s 200m (TA).

In other races, Austria’s Markus Swoboda won the K1 men’s 200m (TA), Great Britain’s Mahoney Patrick came out on top in the V1 men’s 200m (LTA) and Romania’s Iulian Serban stole the show in the K1 men’s 200m (LTA).

Nearly 70 athletes took part in the Championships, and while Para-Canoe is still a relatively new sport, just last December the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) decided to include it in the Paralympic Games for the first time at Rio 2016.