The programme included two official European Championship title races — Paracanoe KL3 Men and Paracanoe KL2 Men — both contested with the required international depth. The remaining races were held as European Cup events, still offering strong performances and important podium moments for the athletes involved.
In Paracanoe KL3 Men, Spain’s Nicolas Martinez produced a powerful performance to claim the European title. Martinez completed the 11.80 km course in 58:37.63, finishing ahead of Georgia’s Serhii Yemelianov, the 2025 European champion, who took silver in 1:00:05.22. Great Britain’s Timothy Lodge completed the podium with bronze in 1:00:20.88. With Giovanni Zanda of Italy, Janos Bencze of Hungary, Thierry Bazin of France, Attila Ignacz of Hungary and Lucian Popa of Romania also in the race, the category brought one of the strongest Paracanoe fields of the day.
Spain also celebrated victory in Paracanoe KL2 Men, where Ricardo Junquera became European champion after a close race with teammate Jose Pineiro. Junquera won in 1:00:13.88, only 4.04 seconds ahead of Pineiro, who took silver. Hungary’s Tibor Kiss claimed bronze in 1:02:07.68. The race also included 2025 European champion Jonathan White of Great Britain, who finished fourth, followed by Angelo Aiello of Italy and Alexandru Cebotari and Mircea Campeanu of Romania.
The women’s va’a events were contested as European Cup races. In VL3 Women, Germany’s Anja Adler took first place in 54:48.29, ahead of Italy’s Zakaria Nouracham and Romania’s Gabriela Bantas. Hungary’s Julianna Toth finished fourth.
In VL2 Women, Great Britain’s Jeanette Chippington secured victory in 55:31.91, with Romania’s Daniela Talmaciu finishing second.
In VL1 Women, Germany’s Lillemor Koeper took the win in 1:02:15.15. Hungary’s Reka Baranyai finished second, while Italy’s Viktoryia Shablova completed the podium.
Official European Championship Titles
Paracanoe KL3 Men
- Nicolas Martinez — Spain — 58:37.63
- Serhii Yemelianov — Georgia — 1:00:05.22
- Timothy Lodge — Great Britain — 1:00:20.88
Paracanoe KL2 Men
- Ricardo Junquera — Spain — 1:00:13.88
- Jose Pineiro — Spain — 1:00:17.92
- Tibor Kiss — Hungary — 1:02:07.68
European Cup Podiums
Paracanoe VL3 Women
- Anja Adler — Germany — 54:48.29
- Zakaria Nouracham — Italy — 58:20.19
- Gabriela Bantas — Romania — 1:11:43.10
Paracanoe VL2 Women
- Jeanette Chippington — Great Britain — 55:31.91
- Daniela Talmaciu — Romania — 1:36:46.13
Paracanoe VL1 Women
- Lillemor Koeper — Germany — 1:02:15.15
- Reka Baranyai — Hungary — 1:05:15.77
- Viktoryia Shablova — Italy — 1:05:26.28
With two European titles awarded and several European Cup podiums decided, Paracanoe once again showed its place within the Paddle Europe Marathon programme, bringing determination, international representation and strong performances to the waters of Bascov.
26.6.2026
