A South Tyrolean hits the big time at the home World Cup

The 1st Extreme Kayak World Championships on South Tyrolean soil was held on Friday and Saturday as part of the 11th edition of “King and Queen of the Alps” on the Passer in St. Leonhard and Moos.

Klotzner sensationally won World Cup silver in Ötztal in 2013. Weger missed the World Championship title on Saturday by just 13 hundredths of a second and the silver medal by just one hundredth of a second. Gold went to New Zealander Zack Mutton (23), silver to his compatriot George Snook (20). Matthias Weger secured the bronze medal. Annika Zoe Senoner (15) from SC Meran/Raika-Torggler secured South Tyrol's second medal win at this Extreme Kayak World Championship on Friday with the silver medal in the junior women's (U18) category.

It was exciting on Saturday shortly before 17 p.m. in the men's final on the infamous, one of the world's most difficult whitewater stretches on the Passer in Moos, even very exciting until the medal winners at the men's World Cup were determined. There was a heart-stopping finale. Events came to a head. First, last year's winner Andi Brunner from Innsbruck paddled out the first time under 1.29,73 minutes in 1.30:1.29,04 minutes, which was immediately beaten by New Zealander Zack Mutton (69:12) by 30 hundredths of a second. His compatriot George Snooke missed the best time by just 1.29,17 hundredths of a second. Matthias Weger was the last to come down the murderous whitewater section. In the semi-final he paddled the best time of the 13 semi-finalists. At the interim he was just behind in second place. Schenner then left the timekeeping at 1.29,16:XNUMX minutes and was XNUMX hundredths of a second above Zack Mutton's time and thus took bronze, as New Zealander George Snook (XNUMX:XNUMX) was also one hundredth of a second faster than Weger.

Matthias Weger with Zack Mutton and George Snook (from left) on the podium.

“Two major mistakes in the final cost me the world title. Shortly before the finish I lost 30 hundredths of a second. I hadn't found the right line in the upper section. Nobody remained error-free on this route. After finishing 5th in 2021 and 4th last year, I am happy to have won the bronze medal, even if the gap is very small. In front of me are Mutton and Snook, two friends with whom I train a lot,” said Matthias Weger. The top favorite from Schenna, who knows the World Cup route better than anyone, achieved the second best time in the quarterfinals and even the best time in the semifinals. “Although I didn’t push hard in the quarter and semi-finals, my times were good,” Matthias Weger reflects.

However, his brother Jakob Weger (2), who is two years younger and had the third best time in the quarter-finals, was unlucky. A mistake in the roller shortly before the finish was Schenner's undoing. He lost a lot of time and fell back to 25nd place and was eliminated. The 22 World Cup silver medalist Daniel Klotzner also had great bad luck. Schenner had a spin in the roller shortly before the finish in the quarterfinals and only crossed the finish line in 2013th place and was eliminated. A French woman wins the World Cup crown Among the women, the exceptional Nouria Newman (31) was celebrated as extreme kayak world champion for the 7th time. The Frenchwoman, who was the fastest in all three competition tests, won the final in 3:1.34,65 minutes ahead of New Zealand's River Mutton (1.35,46:1.36,29) and Frenchwoman Marlene Devillez (19:7). The slalom canoeist Tamara Drescher (11) from SC Meran/Taika-Torggler sensationally took XNUMXth place among women in the qualifying on Friday and thus qualified for the semi-finals. However, she decided not to start in the semi-finals and thus slipped back to XNUMXth place overall.

Junior Annika Zoe Senoner paddled to second place. © pm kk

Among the juniors, Annika Zoe Senoner from SC Meran/Raika-Torggler only had to bow to the German Mia Arnu in the qualification, a whitewater sprint with two runs on the Passer between the kindergarten and the Auer bridge in St. Leonhard, and took the silver medal .

The results of the Extreme Kayak World Championships: Kayak one, men: 1. Zack Mutton 1.29,04:2 minutes; 1.29,16. George Snook (both New Zealand) 3; 1.29,17. Matthias Weger (Schenna) 4; 1.29,73. Andi Brunner (Innsbruck) 5; 1.30,87. Nicolas Caussanel (France) 6; 1.31,30. Erik Hansen (Norway) XNUMX. Eliminated in the semi-finals: 22nd Jakob Weger (Schenna) 1.34,84. Eliminated in the quarterfinals: 47th Daniel Klotzner (Schenna) 1.39,66. 60. Fabian Sieder (Gais), did not compete in the quarter-finals. Eliminated in the qualifying: 61. Jonas Walter (Merano); 62. Michael Zanella (Vipiteno); 64. Sascha Brigl (Naturns); 73. Simon Hehl (Merano); 100. Mark Michael Mair (Vipiteno).

Kayak single, women: 1. Nouria Newman (France) 1.34,65:2 minutes; 1.35,46. River Mutton (New Zealand) 3; 1.36,29. Marlene Devillez (France) 4; 1.37,00. Laura Hofberger (Germany) 5; 1.47,72. Flurina Fischer (Switzerland) XNUMX. Did not compete in the semi-finals: 11. Tamara Drescher (Merano). Eliminated in the qualifying: 27th Charlotte Pragal (Schlanders). Kayak single sculls, masters, men, final standings after the final run: 1. Eric Deguil (France) 1.32,57:2 minutes; 2.04,42. Sascha Pretzl 3; 2.17,40. Mischa Kellner (both Germany) XNUMX.

Junior class, U18 girls, final standings after qualification: 1. Mia Arnu (Germany) 3.11,36:2 minutes; 3.17,22. Annika Zoe Senoner (Meran) 1. Boys: 3.00,56. Jonas Hermann (Austria) 1. Boys: 3.00,56. Jonas Hermann (Austria) XNUMX.

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A South Tyrolean hits the big time at the home World Cup

10 years after Daniel Klotzner, Matthias Weger (27), a paddler from Schenna, has once again managed to reach the podium at an extreme kayak world championship. And in front of a home audience too.

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