The LATVIAN CANOE ASSOCIATION gathers a large number of participants and beautifully concludes the 2024 season

In the C1 women’s category, five competitors took to the start line. Unfortunately, the Latvian participant, Dinija Ozola, did not make it to the final. It seems like a good time for reflection on winter training and the next season. It looks like the moment has come when simply changing boats for competitions won’t be enough for the girls—they will need to train as well! Hopefully, they will rise to the challenge. As for Ilze Biezina, she once again delivered—a truly nice season finale for all slalom fans of Valmiera, securing third place just behind Marie Peiker from Estonia and Veronika Salačevičiūtė from Lithuania. Best of luck to Ilze in the WC1 class as well!

The MK1 category brought intrigue on multiple levels! The battle for a spot in the final began right from the first run, and for good reason—only twelve places were available in the final! Those who didn’t hold back too much in either of the runs made the right decision, as there weren’t enough spots for everyone who, “on paper,” should have made it. There were both lucky ones and those who were not as fortunate—or more accurately, the stronger and the not-so-strong competitors. Of course, some athletes left no room for doubt, confidently advancing to the final with consistent performances, making the path even more challenging for those on the bubble.

It’s also worth mentioning the rather unconventional course design, which led to some challenges for the competitors. In fact, only one athlete managed to complete the first run without penalty seconds—Marie Peiker in the WC1 class. Such a rare achievement is hard to recall in history, even for Līgonis Bečers. By the second run, the athletes had somewhat adapted, and there were significantly more “zero-penalty” runs, but still not in abundance!

In the MK1 category, many athletes failed to make it into the final, including Namējs Brūns, a multiple-time winner in Valmiera, as well as several other potential finalists. Some managed to secure a spot in the final with difficulty, while others advanced with outstanding runs. For example, Vincent Saulītis shone in this category as well, advancing to the final as the second-fastest competitor, just behind Corentin Georgeon from the Ozolnieki Club, who was making his competition debut in Valmiera. Renārs Freijs secured third place in the qualifiers despite a penalty, with a stable run.

Right behind the top three, a tightly packed group of athletes was eager to climb the podium, but there was room for only three. In the final, Corentin once again demonstrated his skill and composure, starting last in the boat class and holding onto his position to claim a well-deserved victory in Valmiera. Whether Corentin started early or if there was an unintentional mistake by the judges remains a matter for history, as the start interval between him and the previous competitor was only one minute instead of the two minutes specified in the competition schedule. Nonetheless, this is just a minor detail and now a trivial historical fact—the fastest on the course won this time.

Klāvs Auznieks from SK Atvars, Liepāja, secured second place with a fantastic run, while Renārs Freijs successfully took the third spot on the podium. It was a close call, as five other athletes—Rokas Popiera, Linards Laidiņš, Adrijus Averkinas, Martin Peiker, and Tarmo Peiker—were all within just over a second of him. The final at these season-closing competitions was truly a spectacle, with exciting and closely contested battles!