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The first canoe slalom competition day at the European Games Krakow-Malopolska 2023 in Kolna Sports Centre has concluded with medal races in men’s and women’s kayak team events, and on Friday the next two sets of medals will be given to the best teams in men’s and women’s canoe.

Friday’s competition in Kolna Sports Centre will start at 9:35 with heats in men’s and women’s canoe where the fastest 30 paddlers from each of the events will advance to Sunday’s semifinals. From the first run the top 20 paddlers will secure themselves a place in the semifinal of their respective event, and in the second run the athletes who will not yet be qualified to the second stage of the competition will fight for the last ten spots in Sunday’s programme.

In the afternoon, the two medal races are on the programme. Starting at 13:35 men’s canoe team race is on the programme, and in 14:12 the women’s canoe team race will start.

In men’s canoe team event the team from Germany will be starting the last in the race as they were the 2022 team European Champions. Sideris TASIADIS, Franz ANTON and Timo TRUMMER (GER) will be among the main favourites to win a medal on the Visla River, but will face tough opponents in their quest for the second title in a row.

Polish team with Kacper SZTUBA, Grzegorz HEDWIG and Michal WIERCIOCH won silver medal at last year’s European Championships and they will be highly motivated on their home course. Spain won bronze medal last year and two of the team members – Miquel TRAVE and Luis FERNANDEZ – will be competing on Friday again.

Not to miss are the team of Slovenia with Olympic Champion Benjamin SAVSEK and number two in the world ranking list Luka BOZIC teaming up with former junior World Champion Nejc POLENCIC, Slovakian canoeists Matej BENUS, Marko MIRGORODSKY and Alexander SLAFKOVSKY and also the French Jules BERNARDET, Nicolas GESTIN and Lucas ROISIN.

In women’s canoe team event Slovakia celebrated the team European Champion title last year and the team consisting of Sona STANOVSKA, Zuzana PANKOVA and Emanuela LUKNAROVA is the same this year.

France won silver medal in 2022 and will be looking to even improve the result this Friday. Marjorie DELASSUS, Angele HUG and Lucie PRIOUX (FRA) are one of those teams considered in the game for the medal.

There are also Gabriela SATKOVA, Tereza FISEROVA and Tereza KNEBLOVA from Czechia, Mallory FRANKLIN, Kimberley WOODS and Sophie OGILVIE (GBR), and Germans Andrea HERZOG, Nele BAYN and Elena LILIK looking to win a medal.

The complete competition schedule and results can be found here.

European Games Krakow-Malopolska 2023 is the Europe’s biggest multidisciplinary sporting event in 2023. More than 7 thousand athletes are competing in 26 sports and 29 disciplines for 253 gold medals. More than that, European Games 2023 are part of the qualification process for the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 in 19 sports. This great celebration of sports starts with opening ceremony in Krakow on 21st of June. The closing ceremony will take place on July 2nd.