13.6.2026
Europe's best canoe sprint and paracanoe athletes have gathered in Montemor-o-Velho for what promises to be an exciting finals weekend. With Olympic champions, world champions and reigning European medallists on the start line, fans can expect several high-quality battles for the continental titles.
Paracanoe Stars
The paracanoe programme features some of the biggest names in the sport. Great Britain's Charlotte Henshaw and Emma Wiggs arrive as two of the most successful female paracanoe athletes in history, with multiple Paralympic, World and European titles between them. Hope Gordon is another strong name aiming for the top.
Among the men's contenders, Great Britain will also rely on David Phillipson , while Hungary's Peter Kiss remains one of the sport's biggest stars after dominating international competition in recent years. Portuguese fans expect a lot from Norberto Mourao.
Italy's Christian Volpi, Ukraine's Vladyslav Yepifanov and Georgia's Serhii Yemelianov, British representative Robert Oliver, Hungary's Katalin Varga, Poland's Katarzyna Sobczak and France's Nelia Barbosa are also expected to play leading roles in the fight for medals.
Canoe Sprint Headliners
The host nation's hopes will once again rest on the shoulders of Fernando Pimenta, one of the most decorated paddlers in canoe sprint history. The Portuguese star will be among the favourites in the men's K1 1000 and K1 5000.
He will face strong opposition from Hungary's Olympic champion Balint Kopasz and Czech legend Josef Dostal, ensuring a world-class contest in one of the championship's showcase events.
In men's canoe, Olympic champion Martin Fuksa headlines the field. Other athletes expected to challenge for medals include Greece's Stefanos Dimopoulos, Spain's Pablo Grana, Poland's Oleksii Koliadych, and Moldova's multiple world medallist Serghei Tarnovschi.
The women's canoe events will feature one of the sport's biggest stars, Ukraine's Olympic and world medallist Liudmyla Luzan, both in the individual and crew events. Strong performances can also be expected from the crews of Moreno-Yarchevska and Kiss-Nagy.
The women's K1 200 is shaping up to be one of the most competitive races of the championships, featuring athletes such as Anna Lucz, Fredderike Hauge Moercke, Ivanna Dyachenko and Anja Apollonio.
In the men's K1 200, keep an eye on Serbia's Marko Dragosavljevic and Hungary's Gergely Balogh, both proven athletes over the shortest sprint distance.
Among the women's kayak events, Poland's Anna Pulawska and Hungary's Zsofia Csikos are expected to be major contenders, while crews such as Paszek-Jagsch, Klatt-Pulawska and Belgium's Peters-Broekx will be among the favourites in the K2 races.
The men's kayak crews also feature a number of established international stars. Germany's Olympic champions Jacob Schopf and Max Lemke, Slovakia's Balazs-Botek, and several powerful K4 crews are expected to feature prominently throughout the weekend.
In canoe doubles, Italy's experienced pairing Casadei-Tacchini and the AIN-A crew Petrov-Shtyl are among the names likely to challenge for medals.
Don't Miss the 5000m Races
On Sunday, attention will also turn to the spectacular 5000-metre events. These races traditionally produce some of the most dramatic moments of the championships, with large fields, tactical racing and exciting finishes.
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