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Following the Bratislava round, the 2026 Paddle Europe Slalom Cup has entered its final and decisive stage. Seven competitions have now been completed across Europe, with only the rounds in Prague and Cesson-Sévigné remaining before the overall champions are confirmed.

The Bratislava competition, held from 31 July to 1 August, marked the resumption of the circuit following the Krakow round in May and produced significant changes across three of the four provisional classifications. New leaders emerged in K1 Men, K1 Women and C1 Women, while the C1 Men standings became particularly close ahead of the final two events.

Organised under the Open Canoe Slalom Cup format, the series continues to provide an important competitive platform for established international athletes and emerging talents. The circuit follows the ICF ranking race model, with one qualification run and one final run at each venue, rewarding both consistency and high-level performances throughout the season.

The 2026 calendar is divided into two competitive blocks:

Part 1

La Seu d’Urgell (ESP) – 7–8 March
Pau (FRA) – 14–15 March
Markkleeberg (GER) – 10–12 April
Liptovsky Mikulas (SVK) – 2–3 May
Tacen (SLO) – 9–10 May

Part 2

Krakow (POL) – 16–17 May
Bratislava (SVK) – 31 July–1 August
Prague (CZE) – 14–16 August
Cesson-Sévigné (FRA) – 29–30 August

According to the competition regulations, the overall classification combines each athlete’s best result from Part 1 with their three best results from Part 2.

With only Krakow and Bratislava completed in the second part of the season, athletes can still add important points in Prague and Cesson-Sévigné. Once all four Part 2 competitions have been held, only the three strongest results from this block will count towards the final ranking.

Brzezinski takes control of K1 Men

Poland’s Jakub Brzezinski is the new leader of the K1 Men standings with 138 points after winning the Bratislava round.

Brzezinski combined his 42-point best result from Part 1 with 36 points from Krakow and the maximum 60 points from Bratislava. The victory moved him from seventh position following Krakow to the top of the classification.

Previous leader David Skubik of Slovakia is now second with 115 points, while Poland’s Mateusz Polaczyk occupies third place with 104 points. Michal Pasiut, also representing Poland, is fourth with 92 points.

France’s Leni Perreau was another of the major movers after finishing second in Bratislava. His 55-point result lifted him into joint fifth place with Ukraine’s Arkhyp Krachko, both on 84 points.

Despite Brzezinski’s 23-point advantage, the classification remains open. Skubik and Polaczyk currently have only one counting result from Part 2 and therefore retain significant opportunities to add points during the final two rounds.

Charel moves to the top of K1 Women

France’s Coline Charel produced one of the biggest ranking movements of the Bratislava weekend.

Charel won the K1 Women competition and collected 60 points, which, combined with her 55-point best result from Part 1, took her total to 115 points. She moved from 15th place after Krakow to the top of the provisional standings.

Poland’s Dominika Brzeska, the leader following the Krakow round, is now second with 99 points. Ukraine’s Viktoriia Us remains close behind in third place with 97 points, while Australia’s Sarah Crosbee is fourth on 91 points.

Slovenia’s Eva Tercelj finished second in Bratislava and moved into joint fifth position with Slovakia’s Karolina Abrahamova. Both athletes have 85 points.

Charel currently holds a 16-point advantage, but Brzeska, Us and Crosbee can all add further Part 2 results in Prague and Cesson-Sévigné.

Sztuba remains ahead in a closely contested C1 Men ranking

C1 Men is currently the closest of the four classifications, with only eight points separating the first six athletes.

Poland’s Kacper Sztuba remains the overall leader with 102 points, based on his 42-point Part 1 result and his victory in Krakow, worth 60 points.

Germany’s Benjamin Kies made the most significant move in the category after winning in Bratislava. His 60-point victory lifted him from 57th place after Krakow to joint second in the overall standings with 98 points.

Kies shares the position with Slovakia’s Samuel Krajci, who also has 98 points. Australia’s Mark Crosbee follows closely in fourth with 97 points, while Slovakian athletes Michal Martikan and Adam Janovcik are fifth and sixth with 96 and 94 points respectively.

The Bratislava round once again highlighted Slovakia’s depth in men’s canoe, with Krajci, Martikan and Janovcik all positioned inside the top six of the overall ranking.

With such small differences between the leading athletes and two counting opportunities still available, the C1 Men title remains completely open.

Roisin establishes a clear C1 Women lead

France’s Laurene Roisin is the new leader of the C1 Women standings following her victory in Bratislava.

Roisin entered the competition with the maximum 60 points from her best Part 1 result and added another 60 points in Bratislava, taking her overall total to 120. She moved from ninth place after Krakow to first position and now holds the largest provisional advantage across the four categories.

Switzerland’s Fia Buetikofer, the previous leader, is second with 91 points. Viktoriia Us continues her impressive campaign across both women’s categories and occupies third place with 87 points, while Slovakia’s Petra Soskova is fourth on 83 points.

Youlia Estanguet completed a strong French performance by finishing second in Bratislava. Her 55 points moved her into joint fifth position with Slovakia’s Hana Danisova, both on 82 points.

Although Roisin leads Buetikofer by 29 points, the final outcome is not yet decided. Several of the leading athletes currently have only one counting Part 2 result and can significantly increase their totals during the remaining competitions.

Poland leads the men’s categories as France takes control of the women’s rankings

Following Bratislava, Poland holds the lead in both men’s classifications through Jakub Brzezinski in K1 and Kacper Sztuba in C1.

France, meanwhile, leads both women’s categories through Coline Charel and Laurene Roisin. Strong performances from Leni Perreau and Youlia Estanguet also moved both athletes into joint fifth place in their respective classifications.

Slovakia continues to demonstrate considerable depth, particularly in C1 Men, while Ukraine’s Viktoriia Us remains one of the most consistent athletes in the series. Us is currently third in both K1 Women and C1 Women.

The open format of the circuit is also reflected in the strong positions of Australia’s Sarah and Mark Crosbee, who currently occupy fourth place in K1 Women and C1 Men respectively.

The overall battle is therefore far from decided. Prague, from 14 to 16 August, will provide the next opportunity for athletes to strengthen their title campaigns before the final round in Cesson-Sévigné on 29 and 30 August.

With two races remaining and several leading athletes still able to add substantial points to their totals, the final weeks of the 2026 Paddle Europe Slalom Cup are expected to produce further changes before the champions are crowned.

Current rankings after Bratislava are available here.