Spain, with 41 paddlers, will be one of the most numerous delegations among the more than 30 countries that will take part in the world championship of the marathon discipline, Senior, Junior and Sub 23 categories, held from tomorrow until next Sunday in the Romanian town of Baskov.
The last World Cup held this year will feature various myths of the discipline, such as the South African Hank mcgregor (K1, eleven World Cup golds), the Hungarian Renata csay (K2, 20 gold medals in World Cups) and Spanish Manuel Antonio ‘Tono’ Campos.
The legendary Galician paddler (36 years old), belonging to the CMDC Breogán Club, lands on the Arges river with the vitola of clear favorite to revalidate the gold won in the last two World Cup events, Vila Verde (Portugal, 2018) and Shaoxing (China, 2019), in the canoe modality. Hungarian Marton kover It is emerging, once again, as the greatest threat from O Grove to reissue for the third time in a row a world crown that had already been bagged twice previously: Rome (2012) and Oklahoma City (2014).
Campos will also fight for the most precious of metals in the C1 short marathon (he won silver in China), and in the C2 with Diego Romero, with which he won the silver medal two years ago in Asian lands. Precisely his boat companion, current world champion in short distance, will be his main adversary in this test, which will be held tomorrow (16.30).
In the Under 23 category, León Villalba (Club Escuela Canoeing Aranjuez), runner-up in Europe in 2019 and fourth in the last World Cup, starts with serious chances of entering the fight for medals.
Duel for the gold in women’s K2
In women’s kayak mode, the battle for the world title in the long K2 test (26’2 km) could have a Spanish color. The boat from Irati Osa (Itxas-Gaia ZUIAPK) and Arantza Toledo (Club Canoeing Cuenca with Character) will measure their forces against that of ‘las Tanias’ (Tania Fernández -Club Kayak Tudense- and Tania Álvarez -Club Breogán-), then a silver medal at the Shaoxing World Cup. Both duets arrive at the Romanian appointment in a remarkable moment of form.
In the meantime, Eva Barrios (Durius-Kayak Zamora), bronze in the last World Cup event, will hunt for a superior metal in the short marathon event.
When it comes to men, the triple world champion Iván Alonso Lage (Club de Canoeing Olívico) will try to return under his jurisdiction. The natural paddler from Tuy, bronze in the 2019 European long distance, will be present in the two individual events.
For its part, The tandem formed by Miguel Fernández and José Julián Becerro (Club Fluvial O Barco) will be surely in the ointment for the world crown. Not surprisingly, they have already obtained a bronze medal in Decize (France), the last continental tournament in which the Hispanic paddlers of this discipline have participated. In the same K2 regatta they will also be present, and wanting to give a lot of war, Miguel Llorens (SC and Deportiva Ribadesella) and Alberto Plaza (CP Cangas Aventura-La Llongar).
It should be noted that this championship will in turn serve as a qualifying tournament for the World Games, which will host for the first time in its history events in the marathon discipline. This event will take place in July 2022 in the American city of Birmingham (Alabama).