Jeanette Chippington wins 11th world title

"Deep down I really wanted to get my world title back so I had put a bit of pressure on myself."

Rio Paralympic gold medallists Jeanette Chippington, Curtis McGrath and Serhii Yemelianov won gold medals on the final day of competition at the 2017 Para canoe World Championships in Racice, Czech Republic.

For Great Britain’s Jeanette Chippington it was her 11th world title, and for Australia’s McGrath his sixth.

Chippington, a veteran of six Paralympics, was pushed all the way to the finish by Russia’s Alexandra Dupik in the KL1 final.

“That was a tough one,” Chippington said.

“Deep down I really wanted to get my world title back (after losing last year), so I had put a bit of pressure on myself. I kept telling myself to just go out there and treat it like a time trial.

“I train so hard and put so much effort into it, so it’s great to do so well.”

Australia’s McGrath continued his rivalry with Austria’s Markus Swoboda in the VL2, eventually finishing more than one second ahead.

“A lot of work goes into getting to these events, and to get on top of the podium,” McGrath said.

“I didn’t feel like it was my best race today, but I managed to pull through and get the win, so I’m pretty happy about that.”

Ukraine’s Yemelianov said he didn’t have the ideal preparation for the World Championships.

“It’s been a long preparation, a lot of hard work,” he said.

“For the last two weeks I haven’t been able to do anything. I tried to do some other sports and it made my muscles very tired.”

Full results can be found on the International Canoe Federation website.