Spain’s 2022 slalom season is quite competitive
The ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup final continued its high drama on Sunday in La Seu, Spain, with golds going to Germany’s Andrea Herzog and France’s Nicolas Gestin in the slalom competition, and to Britain’s Mallory Franklin and the Czech Republic’s Vojtech Heger in the extreme kayak competition
In a thrilling men’s C1 final where nearly half of the 10-man final received 50-second penalties for missing gates, Gestin won his second world cup gold of his career.
The Brittany native, 22, had a penalty-free performance on a challenging course where several favorites committed errors. His victory in the Sunday final also earned him the Spain’s 2022 World Cup series overall victory, which wasn’t determined until the last competitor on the starting line of the final crossed the finish line.
“Waiting was quite frustrating. I was aware that Miquel (Trave) might perform in La Seu, and he did so though with a slight penalty.
“It’s a game, and today’s game was good. I’m glad to play with this gentleman, and I hope we’ll do so for many years to come. At the top of the course, I struggled, but in the middle, where I was fast, I ran well.
“I basically did my job after that. In the most recent spin, I made an excellent effort. Since everyone was quicker than me at the top, I am aware that I could have been.”
Gestin finished third overall after four World Cups, with Slovenia’s Luka Bozic taking the top spot. The Slovenian, though, committed an error in the final on Sunday that cost him two penalty seconds and moved him down to third.
Spain’s Miquel Trave, who won the World Cup on his home course the previous year, took home silver.
The seven-point difference between Gestin and Bozic for the season-ending award, according to Gestin, highlights his consistency throughout the season.
“For me, proving to everyone that I can triumph in every race is a success, he declared.
For me, it’s a positive thing. This season, learning how to win was crucial. In the Prague and La Seu World Cups, I did it twice.
“I am dependable, and I want to stay motivated, keep attempting, and keep striving toward Paris 2024.”
The final was lacking a few notable players. Olympic medalists Lukas Rohan, Denis Gargaud Chanut, and Benjamin Savsek all committed errors that cost them 50 penalty seconds in a startling semifinal.
In the women’s canoe final, world champion Andrea Herzog of Germany prevailed over Gabriela Satkova of the Czech Republic by just 0.06 seconds. Third place went to another Czech woman, Tereza Fiserova.
“It was a challenging course; Herzog described it as being quite difficult.
“I made a few errors in addition to one small, dumb touch. As I crossed the finish line and realized I had won, I was simply delighted. This did not seem to me to be sufficient for the victory today. I’m overjoyed that that was sufficient. Although everyone was arguing, I think I was doing a little bit better today.”
Herzog already had pleasant memories of the Pyrenees venue from when she celebrated her maiden World Championship victory here in 2019. On the Segre River, she just won her second World Cup of her career.
“The start of the season wasn’t great, and I really battled,” she remarked.
“At the World Championships, everything was running smoothly once more, and I had two strong world cups left to finish the year. After the world-class race in London, I am more than thrilled with my performance and am grateful for the break.”
After a tense wait at the finish line, Tereza Fiserova was declared the overall 2022 world cup series winner. Even Jessica Fox, the greatest canoe slalom paddler of all time, found the strenuous course to be difficult.
At the bottom of the course, the Australian made a critical error that cost him 50 seconds and ended his prospects of taking first place overall.
With a score of 251, Fiserova was the series victor. With 234 points, Mallory Franklin of the United Kingdom came in second, and Elena Lilik of Germany came in third.
“It’s an incredible feeling, especially since I also won the World Cup the previous year. The first World Cup in Prague was fantastic. After that, C1 was where I was really fighting. I’m happy to have placed first, remarked Fiserova.
The extreme kayaking season of 2022 also came to an end on Sunday. Mallory Franklin of Great Britain won the women’s competition, adding to her season’s success. She was first across the finish line, ahead of Elena Lilik of Germany and Arregui of Spain.
With a total of 204 points after the victory, Franklin also took first place in the series’ overall world cup standings. Tereza Fiserova finished second in the series with Eva Terelj from Slovenia coming in third. Tereza Fiserova was only two points back in the overall standings.
“I am completely shocked. With double points, it always comes down to this race, so I knew I wasn’t out of it, Franklin said.
Czech Vojtech Heger sailed the best during the whole men’s extreme kayak race. Although the 22-year-old prefers kayaking in the extreme competition, she is actually a canoeist. This time, he stood on the podium alongside Theo Desvignes of France and Manuel Ochoa of Spain.
The last run was just insane. I finished fourth in the World Cup last week. I’m pretty happy right now, and I like it,” he declared.
With his victory on Sunday, Heger, like Franklin, claimed the overall championship of the world cup. Theo Desvignes finished third and his colleague Vit Prindis placed second in the standings.
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