Home favourite Kopasz shines as rivals struggle on first day in Szeged

Hungary's Balint Kopasz delivered a standout performance on the opening day of the International Canoe Federation Canoe Sprint World Cup in Szeged, while many of his Olympic rivals faltered. Kopasz, a bronze medallist at Paris 2024 and Tokyo champion, will be the sole Paris 2024 podium finisher to compete in Saturday's kayak single 1000m final. Olympic champion Josef Dostal of Czechia failed to secure a top-two spot to advance, and Paris 2024 silver medallist Adam Varga finished sixth in his semi-final. In contrast, Kopasz showcased his gold-medal potential, coming from behind to defeat Portugal’s Fernando Pimenta. South Africa’s Hamish Lovemore and Australia’s Thomas Green also impressed in their respective semi-finals. The new-look Hungarian men’s kayak four boat also made a strong impression, with Bence Nadas, Bence Fodor, Levente Kurucz, and Sandor Totka overcoming world champions Portugal. Nadas expressed optimism, noting the team's potential after forming just two weeks prior. In a dramatic turn, three-time Olympic champion Tom Leibscher-Lucz of Germany almost missed his K4 race after getting locked in a toilet. He recounted having to force the door open with his shoulder just 25 minutes before the start, yet still helped his team reach the final. New Zealand's K4 boat, featuring Aimee Fisher in place of the absent eight-time Olympic champion Lisa Carrington (due to health reasons), failed to qualify for the final. This was Fisher's first K4 outing for her country since 2019. World champions Spain, along with Poland and China, successfully advanced. Fisher later secured her place in the women’s K1 final, where she is expected to challenge Poland’s Anna Pulawska for gold. Pulawska, who came from behind to beat Australians Kailey Harlen and Natalia Drobot, expressed her satisfaction, calling Szeged her "favourite place to race" and describing it as her "lucky day." In the men’s canoe single 1000m, Czechia’s Olympic champion Martin Fuksa narrowly held off a…

[go to the magazine: canoeicf]

Continue with the original post:
https://www.canoeicf.com/news/home-favourite-kopasz-shines-rivals-struggle-first-day-szeged