News

The 2026 ICF Wildwater Canoeing World Championships concluded in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, after four days of competition on the Vrbas River, once again confirming Europe as the global centre of wildwater canoeing.

A total of 27 nations participated in the championships, with 21 European countries representing approximately 78% of all competing nations. Throughout the Classic, Sprint and Team events, European athletes dominated the medal tables and produced many of the standout individual performances of the competition.

The championships also reinforced the importance of Banja Luka within the international wildwater calendar. Earlier in the season, the venue hosted the 2026 Paddle Europe Wildwater Cup III, allowing many athletes to gain valuable experience on the demanding Vrbas course before the world championships.

Italy emerged as one of the strongest nations of the championships, largely driven by the exceptional performances of Cecilia Panato.

Panato secured multiple medals across both Classic and Sprint disciplines, including victories in the Women’s Kayak Classic, Women’s Canoe Classic and Women’s Canoe Double Sprint alongside Alice Panato.

Italy also claimed the Women’s Kayak Team Classic world title ahead of Czechia and Germany.

The Panato sisters proved to be among the defining athletes of the championships, consistently fighting for medals across several disciplines and formats.

If Italy stood out on the women’s side, France clearly controlled the men’s canoe categories.

French athletes won:

• Men’s Canoe Double Classic
• Men’s Canoe Double Sprint
• Men’s Canoe Team Classic
• Men’s Canoe Team Sprint
• Men’s Canoe Double Team Classic
• Men’s Canoe Double Team Sprint

Nicolas Sauteur and Theo Viens were particularly dominant throughout the week, appearing repeatedly on the podium in both individual and team competitions.

France also demonstrated extraordinary depth in Men’s Kayak, regularly placing multiple athletes inside finals and podium positions, including Maxence Barouh and Augustin Reboul.

The Sprint finals on the final day produced some of the closest and highest-level racing of the championships.

Slovenia claimed the Men’s Kayak Sprint world title through Anze Urankar, ahead of Czech athlete Vojtech Matejicek and France’s Maxence Barouh.

Slovenia also secured gold in the Men’s Kayak Team Classic and Men’s Kayak Team Sprint events, confirming its continued strength in high-speed wildwater racing.

Czechia was another major protagonist of the championships:

• Kristina Novosadova won the Women’s Kayak Sprint title
• Matej Vanek claimed gold in Men’s Canoe Sprint
• Czech teams consistently reached the podium in both Classic and Sprint events

The Czech women also secured victory in the Women’s Canoe Team Sprint event ahead of France and Great Britain.

Among the standout individual stories of the championships was Belgium’s Leo Montulet, who captured the Men’s Kayak Classic world title in one of the strongest fields of the event. Belgium also earned bronze in the Men’s Kayak Team Classic competition.

Croatia also impressed, particularly through Emil Milihram, who became Men’s Canoe Classic world champion. Croatian teams remained competitive throughout the championships, especially in canoe events.

Across virtually every category, European athletes occupied the majority of podium places, highlighting the depth of development and competitive structure within the continent.

Germany, Italy, France, Czechia, Slovenia, Great Britain, Slovakia and Belgium consistently appeared in finals and medal positions throughout the week.

Looking ahead, the next major continental event will be the 2026 Paddle Europe Junior & U23 Wildwater Championships, scheduled for 12–15 August 2026 in Grandtully, Scotland (GBR), where the next generation of Europe’s top wildwater athletes will compete on another iconic natural whitewater course.