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The 2026 Paddle Europe Ocean Racing Championships are set to welcome a strong international field to Brest, France, with 286 individual athletes entered across the official championship events and 15 European nations represented.

The championships will take place from 26 to 30 August, bringing some of Europe’s leading ocean racing specialists to the coast of Brittany for the latest edition of the continental championships.

The final nominal entries underline the growth of the championships. Excluding the non-official categories, Brest 2026 will feature 286 individual athletes, compared with 194 under the same criteria at the previous European Championships in 2024 — an increase of around 47 per cent.

Host nation France leads the entry list with 107 athletes, followed by Spain, Great Britain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Czechia, Poland, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway.

Beyond the numbers, the quality of the field points towards a highly competitive week in Brest, with European champions, World champions and World Championship medalists appearing throughout the categories.

World and European champions return

The Senior Men’s SS1 promises to be one of the highlights, with the complete podium from the 2024 European Championships returning to competition.

France’s Hector Henot will defend the European title he won two years ago, when he finished ahead of Spain’s Walter Bouzan and fellow Frenchman Pierre Vilella.

Since that European podium, Vilella has gone on to achieve one of the biggest results of his career. At the 2025 World Championships in Durban, the French paddler claimed the Senior Men’s world title, ahead of a highly competitive international field. Henot finished sixth at the same championships, while several other athletes now heading to Brest also featured prominently in Durban.Of course we cannot also forget Gordan Harbrecht, the First Open World Champion from Europe back in 2024 in Madeira.

The Senior Women’s competition brings together another impressive group.

Spain’s Judit Verges, European champion in 2024, returns to defend her title after adding a World Championship bronze medal in 2025. Portugal’s Sara Sotero, who took European silver in 2024, finished sixth at the World Championships, while Spain’s Chloe Bunnett, European bronze medallist two years ago, will also be back on the start line.

France’s Thaïs Delrieux will be another athlete to watch. After competing in U23 at the 2024 European Championships, she stepped up to finish fourth in the Senior Women’s race at the 2025 World Championships, confirming her place among the leading European paddlers in the category.

Bernardo Pereira leads a strong U23 field

The Under 23 Men’s race features one of the clearest headline names of the championships.

Portugal’s Bernardo Pereira arrives in Brest as the defending European champion and the reigning U23 World Champion, for his last year in this age group.

Pereira won the European title in 2024 before producing another major performance in Durban last year, where he took the World Championship gold medal.
The opposition will be strong. France’s Marin Lanée, bronze medallist at the 2025 World Championships, is among the main challengers, together with compatriots Tanguy Cattelle and Morgan Prigent, Spain’s Pablo St Mary and Josep Cifre, and several other athletes who placed highly in Durban.

The U23 Women’s field also brings together athletes with major international credentials.

Great Britain’s Rosie Edwards arrives as the reigning World Champion after winning the U23 Women’s title in Durban. Spain’s Sara Mengual, sixth at the same World Championships, and Lara Cellier, together with Great Britain’s Olivia Geddes and France’s Margaux Bouteloup, add further depth to the field.

World medallists among the Juniors

The Junior categories will provide an opportunity to see some of Europe’s most promising young Ocean Racing athletes.

In Junior Women, Spain’s Andrea Jimenez Colmard arrives in Brest as the reigning World Champion after taking gold in Durban. Portugal’s Constança Frazão, who finished third at the same World Championships, will also be among the leading contenders.

France’s Zoé Goux, Great Britain’s Katie Luen-Twining and Penelope Bellamy are among several other athletes from the top positions of the 2025 World Championship results who will strengthen the European field.

In Junior Men, Spain’s Julian St Mary Palmero, bronze medallist at the 2025 World Championships, is one of the major names to follow. Fellow Spaniard Pau Sanchez Such, Italy’s Leonardo Candela and a strong group of French athletes will also be part of a competitive Junior field.

Mixed SS2 adds another championship battle

The programme will also include the official Mixed SS2 European Championship categories for Seniors, U23, Juniors and Masters.

Among the names entered are France’s Hector Henot and Thaïs Delrieux, who already enjoyed major success together in this discipline by taking silver in the Senior Mixed SS2 at the 2025 World Championships.

The combination of individual SS1 races and Mixed SS2 competition will make Brest one of the largest and most varied editions of the Paddle Europe Ocean Racing Championships to date.

Brittany provides a true Ocean Racing test

The location should play as important a role as the athletes themselves.

The championship village will be based at Moulin Blanc marina, at the entrance to Brest Bay, providing a protected logistical base while giving competitors rapid access to the more exposed waters of the Atlantic.

The north-western tip of Brittany offers conditions ideally suited to Ocean Racing. Wind, currents, ocean swell and rapidly changing weather can all influence the racing.

That flexibility will allow the course to be adapted to the conditions and give athletes the best possible Ocean Racing experience during the competition window.

Three-day weather window for racing

The championships officially begin on Wednesday, 26 August, when the event village opens, registration confirmation takes place and the European Championship opening ceremony is held.

Competition is scheduled within a three-day racing window from Thursday 27 to Saturday 29 August, allowing the organisers to select the most suitable conditions for the main races.

The medal ceremony is scheduled for Saturday evening, followed by the official closing ceremony, dinner and concert.

The championships are organised through the cooperation of Paddle Europe, the French Canoe Federation (FFCK) and Canoë Kayak Club Brestois, bringing together European-level competition and Brest’s strong maritime identity for five days dedicated to Ocean Racing.

With 286 athletes, 15 European nations and a field packed with World and European champions and medallists, Brest is ready to provide a major stage for the 2026 Paddle Europe Ocean Racing Championships.