Marian and Tamara Drescher after their deployment in Solkan.

SCM canoeists impress in Slovenia

The first qualifying round for the World and European Championships in the U18 and U23 categories in canoe slalom took place this weekend under challenging conditions on the turquoise Soca River in the artificial canal of Solkan.

06 April 2025

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8 athletes from SC Meran/Raika-Torggler took part in this first qualification race as part of a world ranking canoe slalom.

Saturday's race was particularly pleasing for Tamara Drescher (21 years old), who clearly finished first in the U23 single kayak qualification. With an outstanding performance, she secured the top spot and demonstrated her current strong form. "Overall, I'm very happy with the race in Solkan. I qualified for the final in third place in the semifinals, but missed second place due to a 1-second penalty for a missed gate, finishing eighth. Despite this, I won the first U50 qualification for the national team," said a delighted Tamara Drescher after the race. She finished first in the U2 single kayak rankings, ahead of Lucia Pistoni and Caterina Pignat.

The other SCM canoeists also achieved strong results. Annika Zoe Senoner (17) took second place in the U18 single kayak category, just 1,63 seconds behind (0 penalty seconds) Isabel Lovato from Valstagna. "My first race was flawless, which makes me confident for the upcoming competitions," said a delighted Annika Zoe Senoner.

Marian Drescher (16) also took second place in the U18 single kayak category, 3,7 seconds (0 penalty seconds) behind Daniele Romano from Brescia. Lars Aaron Senoner (15) finished third in the U18 single kayak race, with two penalty seconds for touching a gate and a 2-second deficit. He also achieved a strong second place in the U5,6 single canoe race, with two gate touches and a 18-second deficit. "With my first two races, I achieved my goal," said Lars Aaron Senoner.

Wind throws a wrench in the works

Coach Stefan Senoner expressed his satisfaction with his protégés' performances. "Tamara's performance, who impressively took the lead, was particularly pleasing. Annika, Marian, and Lars also performed well, giving them hope for a successful qualification run."

The other slalom canoeists from SC Meran/Raika-Torggler also performed well in the U18 qualification: Sara Furlan finished sixth with 50 penalty seconds, Eva Haller finished eighth, and Alice Gravino finished tenth in the girls' single kayak. Christian Stocker finished 18th in the U16 boys' single kayak.

The planned races on Sunday could not be held due to strong winds, so only one elimination round was held on Saturday.

Overall, the athletes were satisfied with their placings and are optimistic about the upcoming races. The next qualifying rounds will take place in Tacen (Slovenia) on April 26-27, in Merano (Merano) on May 25-26, and in Valstagna (Valstagna) on June 1-2. The ultimate goal is to qualify for the U18 and U23 World Championships in Foix (France) on July 12-13 and the European Championships in Solkan (Sölkan) on August 2-3.