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The Czech athlete took gold ahead of France’s Mathurin Madore, with Ianis Triomphe completing a double French presence on the podium. Jakub Krejci finished fourth.

The final was decided in emphatic fashion.

From the early stages of the race, Novak opened a clear gap on the rest of the field and quickly separated himself from the battle behind.

While Madore, Triomphe and Krejci remained locked together, Novak was already racing his own race at the front.

He maintained that advantage through the course and reached the finish with a comfortable margin, closing the Championships with one of the most dominant Kayak Cross final performances of the evening.

Novak takes control early

The decisive moment came almost immediately. Novak found himself ahead of the group early in the race and never allowed the others to close the gap.

The Czech paddler had already shown strong form throughout the elimination rounds, but in the final he produced his clearest performance of the day. Once the separation opened, the main fight shifted behind him.

Madore, Triomphe and Krejci were left contesting the remaining podium positions, while Novak continued to extend his advantage at the front. By the final section, the outcome was already becoming clear. Novak stayed composed and completed the job to secure the European title.

Madore adds silver after another huge day

Mathurin Madore took silver and completed an outstanding Saturday in Ivrea.

Earlier in the day, the French athlete had already finished second in the Kayak Cross Individual competition, only 0.12 seconds behind Giovanni De Gennaro.

He then successfully progressed through the H2H bracket and reached the final.

Madore could not match Novak’s early breakaway in the decisive race, but second place gives him another major European medal and confirms him as one of the strongest Kayak Cross performers of the Championships.

Triomphe gives France a second medal

Ianis Triomphe completed the podium in third. His bronze meant France placed two athletes inside the top three of the final classification.

Triomphe had progressed steadily through the competition and arrived in the final after securing his place from the first semifinal.

In the medal race, he stayed involved in the battle behind Novak and ultimately secured bronze ahead of Krejci.

Krejci finishes fourth after another major weekend

Jakub Krejci finished fourth. The Czech athlete had already enjoyed a remarkable Championships after winning the European K1 title on Friday.

He then moved successfully through the Kayak Cross heats, quarterfinals and semifinals to reach another European final.

But while teammate Novak escaped at the front, Krejci was unable to convert his final appearance into another medal.

Fourth place nevertheless completes an exceptional weekend for the reigning K1 European and World champion.

De Gennaro’s double-title bid ends in the semifinal

One of the biggest stories before the final had been Giovanni De Gennaro’s attempt to win both Kayak Cross titles on the same day.

The Italian had won the Kayak Cross Individual competition earlier on Saturday and entered the H2H bracket as the number one seed.

His run ended in the semifinal, where he finished fourth.

De Gennaro was therefore ranked seventh overall, while fellow Italian Xabier Ferrazzi finished eighth after also being eliminated in the semifinals. Ivrea2026-KayakCross.Men.Results

Ochoa and Echaniz also stop one race short

Spain also came close to reaching the final. Manuel Ochoa, bronze medallist in the Kayak Cross Individual competition, finished fifth overall after taking third in the second semifinal.

Pau Echaniz was sixth after finishing third in the first semifinal. Ivrea2026-KayakCross.Men.Results

That left the final as a direct confrontation between Czechia and France.

Two Czech athletes. Two French athletes.

But one athlete quickly removed any doubt about the result.

A final dominated from the front

The official final classification was:

Matyas Novak (CZE)
Mathurin Madore (FRA)
Ianis Triomphe (FRA)
Jakub Krejci (CZE)

There was no late tactical battle for gold.

Novak had already created the decisive separation.

From early in the race, he was clear of the group and able to focus on maintaining his line and protecting the advantage.

Behind him, the other three finalists continued their own battle for the remaining medals.

Madore emerged with silver. Triomphe secured bronze. Krejci finished fourth.

The final European title of Ivrea 2026

The men’s Kayak Cross final closed the 2026 Paddle Europe Canoe Slalom Championships under the artificial lights of the Stadio della Canoa.

It was the final title of the Championships. And Novak made sure it belonged to Czechia.

After three days of team races, traditional slalom and Kayak Cross, the final race ended with one athlete clearly separated from the rest.

Matyas Novak took control early, stayed in front, and never gave the chasing group an opportunity to bring him back.

Under the lights in Ivrea, Novak delivered a dominant final performance to become the 2026 European Men’s Kayak Cross champion.