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After an intense 2025 edition in Ponte de Lima, Portugal, the new European season arrives with many of last year’s protagonists back on the start lists, alongside some highly anticipated returns. One of the biggest names to watch is Denmark’s Mads Pedersen, who returns to the K1 Men Senior field and immediately adds another major contender to one of the strongest races of the Championships.

Pedersen’s presence will be one of the main talking points in both the short race and the long distance programme. The Danish paddler joins a highly competitive senior men’s field that includes James Russell, José Ramalho, Jon Vold, Joakim Lindberg, Marcel Paufler and Jakub Zavrel — several of the athletes who shaped the 2025 edition and are again set to fight at the front.

The K1 Men Senior events will also have an important absence. Fernando Pimenta, winner of the 2025 K1 Men Senior short race and part of Portugal’s winning K2 Men Senior crew together with José Ramalho, will not be on the start line in Romania due to commitments in Canoe Sprint. His absence opens the door to a different race dynamic, especially in the short race, where he produced one of the standout performances of last year’s Championships.

In the 2025 K1 Men Senior long distance race, Great Britain’s James Russell took the European title after a very tight finish, ahead of Portugal’s José Ramalho and Norway’s Jon Vold. With all three names included again in the 2026 K1 Men Senior long distance start list, the battle for the title is expected to be one of the highlights of the Championships. The return of Mads Pedersen adds even more depth to a race that already looked extremely competitive.

The women’s K1 senior field also promises another strong contest. Norway’s Anna Sletsjøe, winner of the 2025 K1 Women Senior long distance title, is back in the start list and will once again be one of the names to follow. She will face a strong field that includes Panna Csepe, Pernille Hostrup, Katerina Milova, Krisztina Bedocs, Katie Brookes, Lou Boisnard, Brynde Kreft, Panna Sinko and others, with the short race and long distance events both expected to be wide open.

In canoe events, several 2025 protagonists also return. In C1 Men Senior, Spain’s Manuel Campos is back after winning the 2025 long distance title, while Jaime Duro, winner of last year’s short race, is also entered in Romania. The field also includes athletes such as Mateusz Borgiel, Mateusz Zuchora, Rui Lacerda, Ricardo Coelho, Denys Davydov, Oleg Tarnovschi and Diego Romero, creating strong depth in both short race and long distance formats.

The C1 Women Senior events will also bring together several major names. Olena Tsyhankova, winner of the 2025 long distance title, returns to the long distance start list, while Liudmyla Babak, Zsofia Kisban, Lili Matkovics, Yseline Huet, Tereza Kodetova, Bethany Gill and Ewelina Antos are among the athletes expected to be in the fight across the senior canoe programme.

The crew boat races will again be a major part of the final days of competition. In 2025, Portugal had a strong presence in the senior crew events, winning the C2 Men Senior title with Rui Lacerda and Ricardo Coelho and the K2 Men Senior title with Fernando Pimenta and José Ramalho. In Romania, Lacerda and Coelho return together in C2 Men Senior, while José Ramalho will race the K2 Men Senior event with Alfredo Faria. Denmark will also bring an exciting K2 Men Senior combination, with Mads Pedersen and Philip Knudsen entered together.

Hungary will again be one of the nations to watch across several categories, with strong representation in junior, under 23 and senior events. The country will be present in key kayak and canoe races, including the women’s senior K1 events and several crew boat competitions.

The first full day of racing will be dedicated to the short race format, with heats and finals across junior and senior categories.

The programme begins at 09:00 with the K1 Women Junior Short Race heats, followed by the K1 Men Junior heats at 10:00 and 10:30.

The K1 Men Senior short race heats will follow at 11:00 and 11:30. Heat 1 includes Mads Pedersen, José Ramalho, Marcel Paufler, Balint Noe and Javier Lopez, while Heat 2 brings together James Russell, Jon Vold, Joakim Lindberg, Philip Knudsen, Pierre Vilella, Jakub Zavrel and Alfredo Faria. With only the best progressing to the final, the morning session already promises high intensity.

The first finals of the day are scheduled from 12:00, starting with the C1 Men Junior Short Race Final, followed by the C1 Women Junior Short Race Final at 12:30.

The afternoon session will bring the K1 Women Junior Final at 14:00 and the K1 Men Junior Final at 14:30, before the senior canoe and kayak finals close the racing programme.

At 15:00, the C1 Women Senior Short Race Final will bring together a strong field including Zsofia Kisban, Valeriia Tereta, Yseline Huet, Tereza Kodetova, Liudmyla Babak, Lili Matkovics, Bethany Gill and Agata Kowalak.

At 15:30, the C1 Men Senior Short Race Final will feature names such as Jaime Duro, Mateusz Borgiel, Mateusz Zuchora, Rui Lacerda, Ricardo Coelho, Diego Romero, Oleg Tarnovschi and Daniel Laczo.

The K1 Women Senior Short Race Final is scheduled for 16:00, with Anna Sletsjøe, Panna Csepe, Pernille Hostrup, Susanna Cicali, Eva Barrios, Katerina Milova, Krisztina Bedocs and Panna Sinko among the names entered.

The day will close with the K1 Men Senior Short Race Final at 16:30, where the qualifiers from the morning heats will fight for the first senior kayak title of the Championships.

With returning champions, new combinations and several of Europe’s strongest marathon specialists on the start lists, the 2026 Paddle Europe Marathon Championships are set to deliver four days of high-level competition in Romania.

The races will be broadcast on Paddle Europe’s YouTube channel.