The kayak-canoe season begins: nineteen Hungarians in Racice

The national team captain Csaba Hüttner went through the warm-weather training camps in South Africa and Seville, so he could personally confirm the form of the competitors. As he said, he is looking forward to the start of the season, especially because of the changed Olympic program.

"It will be an interesting season, because in the light of the new Olympic numbers, we have to find out in which numbers we can be the strongest in Paris," Csaba Hüttner was quoted as saying by the website of the Hungarian association. In the speed kayak-canoe program of the 2024 Games, instead of the previous 12, only 10 numbers will be included, these are: men's kayak - K-1 1000 m, K-2 500 m, K-4 500 m; men's canoe - C-1 1000 m, C-2 500 m; women's kayak - K-1 500 m, K-2 500 m, K-4 500 m; women's canoe - C-1 200 m, C-2 500 m.

"We need to assess how we can get enough quotas to be able to compete in the Olympics. I think that those who are competing this year have done a good job of preparing. Of course, it weakens the national team a little that the women's kayaking Olympic several of our champions will not start, but this will be a good opportunity for those young people who are predestined to be the strengths of the national team in the future", continued the captain.

As for the Olympic numbers, only the two-time world champion Alida Dóra Gazsó will compete in the women's kayak this time. In canoeing, the Olympic fifth Balla Virág and Kincső Takács will compete in the two hundred singles and five hundred doubles. In the men's K-2 500 meters, in addition to the duo of Sándor Tótka and Bence Nádas, the duo of Márk Opavszky and Bence Fodor, who competed in last year's U23, will get a chance. In fours, the national team captain also voted his confidence in a young team, the quartet consisted of Gergely Balogh, Márk Szendy, Maximilián Szendy and Benedek Kós. Hungary will be represented by Adolf Balázs and András Bodonyi in the 1,000-meter canoe, and the duo of Jonatán Hajdu and Ádám Fekete in the 500-meter doubles.

Csaba Hüttner emphasized that the World Cup in the Czech Republic will be a good preparation station before the national team in Szeged next weekend.

"I would like to see our competitors perform well, but of course I don't expect them to perform at their best right now. This is a preparation station, the essence of which is that they can test themselves before the domestic selection at the end of the month without any stakes," said the specialist.

According to the information of the International Kayak-Canoe Association, more than 500 athletes from 50 countries on five continents will compete in Racice, including those who - with the exception of the Tokyo Olympics - will have their first international competition since the outbreak of the coronavirus.

The competition starts on Friday, and the finals are held on Saturday and Sunday.

The Hungarian team:

men:

K-1 500 m: Sándor Tótka; Bence Nadas

K-2 500 m: Tótka, Nádas; Márk Opavszky, Bence Fodor

K-4 500 m: Gergely Balogh, Márk Szendy, Maximilián Szendy, Benedek Kós

C-1 200 m: Dávid Korisánszky

C-1 500 m: Dániel Fejes; Korisánszky

C-1 1000 m: Adolf Balázs; András Bodonyi

C-2 500 m: Jonatán Hajdu, Ádám Fekete

women:

----

K-1 500 m: Dóra Alida Gazsó

C-1 200 m: Balla Virág; Takács Kincső

C-2 500 m: Balla, Takács; Giada Bragato, Bianka Nagy

mixed:

-------

C-2 500 m: Korisánszky, Takács; Balla, Black

(Source: Source: sportrajongo.hu, mti/Photo: pixabay)