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Junior women open the competition

The action begins at 09:00 with the Junior women’s K1 heats, featuring 43 athletes. The first paddler on the course will be AIN athlete Kira Rogova, while Slovakia’s Zara Zahorska, the highest-ranked athlete on the start list, will close the event at 09:42.

One of the leading names will be Czechia’s Barbora Ondrackova, the reigning Junior world champion in both K1 and C1. She will start at 09:26 and will be joined in a powerful Czech contingent by Lucie Vaculova and Valentyna Kocirova.

Slovakia’s Karolina Abrahamova, the defending European Junior women’s K1 champion, is also among the main contenders and is scheduled to start at 09:41. Italy’s Isabel Lovato, France’s Margot Lapeze and Spain’s Ainhoa Segura are among several other athletes expected to challenge near the top of the standings.

A large Junior men’s field

The Junior men’s K1 heats follow at 09:47, bringing together the largest individual field of the day with 68 athletes.

Austria’s Max Steinbrenner, the reigning Junior world champion, will be the final athlete on the course at 10:54. His position at the end of the start list reflects his international ranking and makes him one of the main names to follow during the morning.

The field also includes Slovakia’s Dominik Egyhazy, Poland’s Marek Kulczycki, Slovenia’s Tadej Tilinger, Italy’s Lars Aaron Senoner and Oliver Fina, and Spain’s Mario del Teso.

With only the fastest 30 athletes progressing to Friday’s semifinals, the Junior men’s heats are expected to provide one of the most demanding qualification battles of the opening day.

Paulina Pirro leads a strong U23 women’s line-up

The U23 women’s K1 competition begins at 10:59, with 36 athletes fighting for 30 semifinal places.

Germany’s Paulina Pirro, the current U23 world champion, starts at 11:27. The German team also includes Mina Blume and Antonia Plochmann, who will later join Pirro in the team final.

France’s Emma Vuitton, ranked ninth in the world and the highest-ranked athlete in the event, will close the heats at 11:34. The host nation will also be represented by Ilona Martin Laemle and Nina Pesce-Roue.

Spain’s Anna Simona, Czechia’s Klara Mrazkova, Poland’s Dominika Brzeska and Italy’s Lucia Pistoni and Caterina Pignat add further depth to a highly competitive field.

Major names conclude the individual  program

The morning  program ends with the U23 men’s K1 heats, beginning at 11:39 and featuring 55 athletes.

Slovenia’s Ziga Lin Hocevar, ranked 11th in the world, will be the final paddler on the course at 12:33. France’s Titouan Estanguet, Italy’s Michele Pistoni, Czechia’s Michal Kopecek and Spain’s Faust Clotet Juanmarti are also among the strongest-ranked athletes in the field.

France’s Mewen Debliquy, the reigning U23 C1 world champion, will also compete in the kayak heats, demonstrating his versatility across both slalom boats. He is scheduled to start at 11:48 before returning later in the afternoon for the men’s U23 team final.

Four European titles decided in the afternoon

After the individual heats, attention will turn to the team competitions, where the first medals of Épinal 2026 will be awarded.

The Junior women’s kayak team final begins at 14:30, with eight nations entered. Czechia will start last with a formidable trio of Barbora Ondrackova, Valentyna Kocirova and Lucie Vaculova. Slovakia, France, Great Britain, Poland, Germany, Spain and Switzerland complete the field.

The Junior men’s team final follows at 14:58, featuring 20 nations. Austria will count on Max Steinbrenner, Milo Oblinger and Jakob Seebacher, while Slovakia will be represented by Dominik Egyhazy, Filip Duda and Matus Egyhazy. Poland, Italy, Slovenia, Czechia, France and Germany are also among the teams expected to challenge for the medals.

The U23 women’s team final begins at 16:02, with ten nations. Germany’s team of Paulina Pirro, Antonia Plochmann and Mina Blume will be among those to watch, alongside Czechia, France, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, Poland and Great Britain.

The day’s final competition starts at 16:36, with 15 teams entered in the U23 men’s final. Host nation France will be represented by Mewen Debliquy, Titouan Estanguet and Unai Oteiza, while Slovenia will field Ziga Lin Hocevar, Domen Bregar and Jan Locnikar. Germany will be the final team on the course at 17:18.

The medal ceremonies for all four team competitions will bring the opening day to a close, before the  program moves to canoe heats and team finals on Thursday.

Follow Épinal 2026

Official start lists and results HERE

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General Startlist PDF HERE