Double debut wins in Liptovsky Mikulaš: First European Champion titles for Melanie Pfeifer and Kučera – Batik

The last day of the 2016 ECA European Canoe Slalom Championships in Liptovsky Mikulaš, Slovakia, brought us new names at the top of the European Championships podium. Melanie Pfeifer (GER) won gold medal in women’s kayak final and Tomaš Kučera – Jan Batik (SVK) picked up gold in men’s C2. The last Olympic quota in women’s K1 went to Ukraine and men’s C2 quota to Switzerland.

German kayaker Melanie Pfeifer was the last one to qualify for the finals after finishing semifinal run in 10th place. She then started the first in the final and remained in the top position until the very end of women’s kayak event.“I was funny to be the first at the start, but I normally try not to listen what other competitors do anyway. I just tried to focus on my run. It was good. The course was very difficult and today was very cold so it was not easy to be warm at the start. I like difficult courses,” said Pfeifer.This is the third individual medal at European Championships for Melanie Pfeifer – first gold. She was second in 2012 and 2014.Urša Kragelj (SLO), who won bronze at Europeans in Bratislava, 2010, picked up a silver medal this time, and Jana Dukatova (SVK), 2010 European Champion, was third.Semfinal run was decisive for the …

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