ICF Canoe Sprint World Championship

28 August 2013

ICF Canoe Sprint World Championship, Duisburg, Germany
28 August – 1 September 2013

With a confirmed entry of 850 athletes the event is the largest event on the 2013 ICF Calendar and boasts a truly world-class line-up with 19 Gold medal winning athletes from the 2012 London Olympic Games set to race.

The paracanoe event, featuring New Zealand’s Scott Martlew, is the first to get underway on Wednesday and provides an opportunity for the aspiring Rio 2016 Paralympians to showcase their talent in front of an expected capacity crowd. Scott performed well at the last World Champs placing 5th in this event and being the youngest Open Men’s paddler.

The nine athletes from New Zealand and the solo representative from the Cook Islands have had the furthest to travel to the event clocking up whopping 11,500 air miles.

Lisa Carrington is undoubtedly New Zealand’s biggest medal prospect. The 24-year-old has not stopped winning since her victory in the Women’s K1 200m at the Olympic Games last year and is a strong contender in the Women’s K1 200m and 500m. Her racing commences with the 500m event on Thursday as does Ben Fouhy in the K1 1000m and the K2 crew of Teneale Hatton and Rachael Dodwell in the 500m.

The young Mens K4 of Zac Quickenden, Darryl Fitzgerald, Jasper Bats and Jarrod Fitzgerald don’t hit the water until Friday and come to event hot off the U23 World Champs in Canada.

The Russian Federation has the largest team with 56 athletes, including the Men's Olympic K2 200m Gold medal winning duo of Yury Postrigay and Alexander Dyachenko.

Hungary has the second largest contingent with 43 athletes and trump Russia with three Olympic Gold medal winning boats on the start line.

Germany have 42 athletes and will hope to dominate in the same way they did last time the championships visited Duisburg back in 2007. On that occasion they won nine gold, six silver and three bronze medals.

The hosts also boast 2012 Olympic Gold medal winners, including Women's K2 500m duo of Franziska Weber and Tina Dietze, and Men's C1 1000m champion Sebastian Brendel.

All the action will take place on a 2km stretch of water in the centre of Duisburg Sports Park. The Sport Park dates back to 1919 and has become internationally recognised after hosting a string of world-class events, including the World Games in 2005.

The event will also reach a global TV audience and be streamed on the ICF onDemand channel as well as the German kanutube channel

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