The Hungarian city of Szeged was the international epicentre of canoeing last weekend. The prestige of the world competition and, above all, the available spots for the Olympic Games were the main attractions for the competitors. In this context, the UCAM canoeists achieved great success by winning four medals and four Olympic spots.

The first medal was awarded to Sete Benavides, from the UCAM. The Majorcan, a student of the Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Activity and Sport Sciences of the Catholic University, together with his mate Toni Segura, won the bronze medal in the C2 500 metres category and the spot for the next Olympic Games to be held in Tokyo.  He was followed by Teresa Portela, who won the bronze medal in the K1 200 metres category, and she obtained the pass to what could be her sixth Olympic Games. Should this be the case, she will become the first Spanish woman to participate in six Olympic events.

In the K2 1000 metres category, Paco Cubelos and Íñigo Peña were only beaten by the Germans, and they obtained the silver medal and the pass to Tokyo. Finally, Saúl Craviotto, Marcus Cooper and Rodrigo Germade, together with their teammate Carlos Arévalo, finished runners-up in the K4 500 metres race and also obtained the ticket to the Olympic Games.

Also noteworthy are the fourth place of Sete Benavides in C1 200 metres and the great participation of the Murcian Mohssine Moutahir, who was sixth in C4 500 metres.