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26.9.2026
Several of the leading names safely progressed to Saturday night’s quarterfinals, but the heats also produced a number of significant eliminations.
European Kayak Cross Individual champion Giovanni De Gennaro survived his opening race despite not winning it, while Jakub Krejci, Manuel Ochoa, Mathurin Madore and Ziga Lin Hocevar all progressed.
Among the biggest names already out are Mario Leitner, Gabriel De Coster, Stefan Hengst, Jan Barta and Dimitri Marx.
The remaining 16 athletes return under the lights from 20:39, with only the first two from each quarterfinal progressing to the semifinals.
The opening heat immediately produced an unexpected result.
Giovanni De Gennaro entered the bracket as the number one seed after winning the Kayak Cross Individual European title earlier on Saturday.
But he did not win his first H2H race.
Egor Smirnov took first place, with De Gennaro securing the second and final qualification position.
Ben Brown finished third, while David Llorente was fourth after a fault at Gate 6.
De Gennaro therefore remains in contention for another European title, but the result offered an immediate reminder that the head-to-head format can quickly change the order established in the Individual event.
Heat 2 went to France’s Ianis Triomphe, with Poland’s Marek Kulczycki taking second.
Thomas Ukalovic finished third, while Maxime Aubertin was fourth and eliminated.
Both Triomphe and Kulczycki now move into a quarterfinal that also includes De Gennaro and Smirnov.
One of the first major surprises came in Heat 3.
Felix Oschmautz won the race for Austria, with Mateusz Polaczyk taking second for Poland.
Andrea Nardo finished third.
Gabriel De Coster, who had been fifth-fastest in the Kayak Cross Individual event earlier in the day, was fourth and eliminated.
For De Coster, it was a sharp reversal after such a strong Individual performance.
The Belgian had looked capable of featuring deep into the competition, but his H2H campaign ended in the opening round.
Heat 4 saw Matyas Novak take first place, with Paris 2024 K1 bronze medallist Pau Echaniz securing second.
Felix Sachers finished third.
Marten Konrad was fourth after being ranked as lower and was eliminated.
That result keeps Echaniz in the hunt for another major Kayak Cross result while also removing one of Germany’s representatives from the bracket.
Heat 5 was one of the strongest races on paper, and it delivered a major casualty.
Kayak Cross Individual bronze medallist Manuel Ochoa won the heat.
Xabier Ferrazzi, silver medallist in Friday’s traditional K1 final, took second and progressed.
Mario Leitner finished third and was eliminated, while Martin Dougoud was fourth.
Leitner’s elimination is one of the more notable outcomes of the opening round.
Ochoa and Ferrazzi, meanwhile, both continue into a very strong third quarterfinal.
Ziga Lin Hocevar won Heat 6, with Great Britain’s Ben Haylett taking second.
Jan Barta finished third, while Oleksandr Fedorenko was fourth.
Barta’s elimination is another significant result, especially after his appearance in Friday’s K1 final.
Haylett now becomes Great Britain’s only remaining athlete in the men’s Kayak Cross competition after Joseph Clarke and Sam Leaver had already missed the top 32 in the Individual qualification.
Jakub Krejci continues to find ways to stay at the front in Ivrea.
The reigning K1 European and World champion won Heat 7, with Arkhyp Krachko taking second.
Stefan Hengst finished third and was eliminated.
Jakub Brzezinski was fourth after a fault at Gate 2.
Krejci therefore remains in contention for another European medal after already winning the traditional K1 title on Friday.
Hengst, one of the more experienced Kayak Cross athletes in the field, is out.
The final heat produced a perfect result for France.
Mathurin Madore won the race, with teammate Joris Hello taking second.
Noel Hendrick finished third.
Dimitri Marx was fourth and eliminated.
Madore had been only 0.12 seconds away from the Individual European title earlier in the day and once again looked strong.
France now sends both Madore and Hello into the final quarterfinal.
The first men’s quarterfinal at 20:39 brings together:
Ianis Triomphe (FRA), Egor Smirnov (AIN), Giovanni De Gennaro (ITA) and Marek Kulczycki (POL).
De Gennaro already survived one difficult race.
Now the Individual European champion faces another test, with only two progression places available.
Smirnov has already beaten him once today.
The second quarterfinal at 20:43 brings together Matyas Novak, Felix Oschmautz, Mateusz Polaczyk and Pau Echaniz.
All four have strong slalom credentials.
Novak and Oschmautz both won their opening heats, while Polaczyk and Echaniz progressed in second.
It is one of the most balanced races of the quarterfinal stage.
Quarterfinal 3 at 20:47 may be one of the strongest races of the entire evening.
Manuel Ochoa, Ziga Lin Hocevar, Ben Haylett and Xabier Ferrazzi all line up together.
Ochoa has already won bronze in the Kayak Cross Individual event.
Ferrazzi has K1 silver from Friday.
Hocevar won his opening H2H heat.
Haylett is Great Britain’s last remaining athlete.
Only two can continue.
The final quarterfinal at 20:51 brings together Mathurin Madore, Jakub Krejci, Joris Hello and Arkhyp Krachko.
Madore was second in the Individual event.
Krejci is the reigning European and World K1 champion.
Hello gives France a second athlete in the race.
Again, one or more major names will be eliminated before the semifinals.
The opening round has already removed several important contenders.
Mario Leitner is out.
Gabriel De Coster is out.
Stefan Hengst is out.
Jan Barta is out.
Dimitri Marx is out.
But De Gennaro remains.
Krejci remains.
Madore remains.
Ochoa remains.
Ferrazzi remains.
Hocevar remains.
The quarterfinals begin at 20:39, followed by the semifinals at 21:12 and 21:16 and the final at 21:34.
By then, 16 athletes will have become four.
And just like in the women’s competition, the first round has already delivered the clearest possible message:
in Kayak Cross, speed can get you into the bracket — but only surviving the race keeps the title alive.
© 2021 ECA
