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Ondrackova confirms world champion status

Czechia’s Barbora Ondrackova produced the outstanding performance of the Junior women’s K1 heats, completing a clean run in 99.06 seconds.

The reigning Junior world champion in both K1 and C1 finished 5.46 seconds ahead of teammate Valentyna Kocirova, who secured second place with another penalty-free run. Great Britain’s Helena Nabili completed the top three, only 0.21 seconds behind Kocirova.

Czechia demonstrated its strength by placing three athletes inside the top nine. In addition to Ondrackova and Kocirova, current Junior Kayak Cross Individual world champion Lucie Vaculova progressed in ninth position despite receiving four seconds in penalties.

The defending European Junior women’s K1 champion, Karolina Abrahamova of Slovakia, also safely advanced. Abrahamova finished 12th with a total time of 112.81, including a two-second penalty.

Germany placed three athletes inside the top 15, led by Neele Krech in fourth, while France also advanced all three of its athletes through Margot Lapeze, Charlotte Compan and Laurette Laly.

Qualification remained uncertain until the final places. Switzerland’s Florance Moinian secured the 30th and final semifinal position with 128.69, while Latvia’s Elizabete Kurvina missed qualification by only 0.13 seconds.

Three athletes separated by 0.15 seconds

The Junior men’s heats produced an exceptionally close contest at the top of the standings.

Slovakia’s Filip Duda recorded the fastest run of the morning, stopping the clock at 89.19 seconds without penalties. Germany’s Jakob Ungvari finished just 0.13 seconds behind, while Slovakia’s Dominik Egyhazy was third, only 0.15 seconds away from Duda’s leading time.

Egyhazy, who holds both the 2025 European and 2026 world titles in Junior men’s C1, once again demonstrated his ability to compete at the highest level in both boats.

Spain’s Didac Foz completed the top four, with Kilian Kaeding of Germany fifth. Host nation France placed Liam Le Touze sixth, while Riwal Le Ray and Theo Chetoui also progressed in 14th and 23rd positions respectively.

Several other athletes with major international titles safely advanced. Poland’s Marek Kulczycki, the current Junior Kayak Cross Individual world champion, finished 17th, while Italy’s Lars Aaron Senoner, Slovenia’s Tadej Tilinger and Spain’s Mario del Teso all qualified comfortably.

World champion eliminated in the major surprise

The biggest surprise of the opening session was the elimination of Austria’s Max Steinbrenner, the reigning Junior men’s K1 world champion.

Steinbrenner recorded a paddling time of 98.75 seconds but received four seconds in penalties, taking his total to 102.75. He finished in 38th position, 1.72 seconds outside the qualification places.

His early exit means that the Junior men’s K1 European title will not be added to the world crown he secured in Krakow earlier this summer.

The battle for the final semifinal position was even closer than in the women’s event. Slovenia’s Svit Konrad qualified in 30th with 101.03, while Estonia’s Martin Peiker finished 31st in 101.05, missing the next phase by only two hundredths of a second.

The reigning European Junior men’s K1 champion, Spain’s Faust Clotet Juanmarti, is no longer competing in the Junior category. He has moved into the U23 field and will begin his campaign later today.

U23 kayak heats come next

The opening-day programme now continues with the Under 23 competitions.

The U23 women’s K1 heats begin at 10:59, with current world champion Paulina Pirro of Germany among the main athletes to watch. France’s Emma Vuitton, Spain’s Anna Simona and a strong Czech team will also be in action.

The U23 men’s K1 heats follow at 11:39. The field includes Slovenia’s Ziga Lin Hocevar, France’s Titouan Estanguet and Mewen Debliquy, as well as Faust Clotet Juanmarti, who begins his first European Championships campaign in the U23 category.

The afternoon will then bring the first medal races of Épinal 2026, with four European titles to be decided in the Junior and U23 kayak team competitions.