Durban was everything we dreamed of and more. Billy and Betsy dive into: what was going on with that shore break? Who handled it well, should the course run through such an intense shorey, and how viral did those videos go?

But more importantly, what was going through the minds of some of the top paddlers when they were on the water? It was a long course of 34km in less wind what many paddlers hoped for, and there was plenty of action between the buoys that didn’t make the live stream.

Newly crowned 2x world champion Kira Bester and 2025 U23 world champion Rosie Edwards join Paddlecast to talk through how the women’s race went from the front, recapping the key moments in their own words.

For the men’s race, 4x world champion Cory Hill and 2025 vice world champion Pierre Vilella tell the story of the front of the men’s race in their own words.

Billy & Betsy talk about their stand-outs, focusing on some impressive young paddlers including junior world champions Sam Mocke and Andrea Jimenez, as well as U23 stand-outs Rosie Edwards, Bernardo Pereira, and Matt Coetzer.

In her interview with Paddlecast, Kira Bester describes exactly how she was feeling in that moment when she won her world title, and who she was really racing for this year. Rosie Edwards explains just how shocked she was at her result, and why she thinks she paddled so well in Durban. Pierre Vilella, whose silver medal shocked many fans including a commentary team that called him Gordan Harbrecht for the first few minutes of the race, discusses how surprised he was, how his training group helps him, and why he thinks his recent venture into marathon racing was key to his stellar result.

16 year old Sam Mocke makes his podcast debut, almost as exciting as winning his second junior world title with plenty of time left in the junior category. He talks about which paddlers, Mocke family and otherwise, he looks up to as role models and inspiration. Sam outlines exactly just how ambitious he is with his goals for the future of his paddling career, far beyond more world titles…

Finally, Billy & Betsy mention a few more fantastic races that have been happening over the last couple of weeks while they’ve been focused on Durban, including:

The Krumlovsky

Liffey Descent

Great Alabama 650

Paddle Games

Pete Marlin

20 Beaches

Links to catch up on those races are included below.

Thanks to Carbonology UK for sponsoring this episode of Paddlecast! Carbonology is one of the world’s leading surfski brands, and notably it’s the brand of choice for the now 2x world champion Kira Bester, who has won both her world titles racing the Carbonology Flash X LV (Low Volume) ski. Paddlecast co-host Billy has spent plenty of time in Carbonology skis as well, including the intermediate-level Zest which was his first ski and a perfect introduction to surfski paddling for those coming from a strong sprint or marathon racing background.

Head over to carbonologysport.co.uk to check out their skis and other equipment. Contact [email protected] to learn more.

00:22 Introduction & why Billy didn't race

02:28 Women's Race Recap with Kira & Rosie

09:04 The Shorey

14:31 Men's Race Recap with Cory & Pierre

27:15 The Largest Start Line Ever at Worlds

29:40 Stand-Out Paddlers

Highlighting up-and-coming paddlers who performed exceptionally well or better than expected

35:28 Interview with Kira Bester

40:28 Interview with Rosie Edwards

43:38 Interview with Pierre Vilella

50:59 Interview with Sam Mocke

1:00:47 Interview with Cory Hill

Useful links: https://www.facebook.com/krumlovskymaraton

https://www.facebook.com/liffeydescent

https://www.facebook.com/GreatAlabama650

https://www.instagram.com/paddle_games

https://petemarlin.co.za/2025-results

https://20beaches.com.au

#surfski #surfskikayak #worldchampionship #durban2025 #visitsouthafrica #kayaking #surflifesaving #paddlesportsa #planetcanoe

It’s a double episode for Durban: Billy and Betsy make their predictions for who are the best candidates to win this year’s Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships in Durban, South Africa. And then reigning surfski world champion Kira Bester joins the conversation to talk about the conditions in Durban, two possible courses, and who she thinks could win.

The ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships will be held in Durban, South Africa from the 17th-19th October 2025. The hype has been building for more than a year now, and virtually all of the top names in surfski will be racing in the home of surfski racing.

Kira Bester went out to test the course with Jade Wilson in July, and says she’s hoping for Course A, DUC to Westbrook. But racers will need to be wary of potential challenges including a possible buoy at Umhlanga, whales and sharks, and a brutal shore break at the finish. The DUC to Westbrook course is ideal for the prevailing south westerlies, but swell and current add two more dimensions that could make for a more technical course.

In the women’s race, Kira might be the favourite as defending champion from 2024, but her biggest competition will probably come from Michelle Burn (South Africa) and Danielle Richards nee McKenzie (New Zealand). Michelle is local to Durban and learned to downwind along the race course, so her local knowledge could put her over the edge except that Kira has already been out scoping the course thoroughly. Danielle is a previous world champion and didn’t race at surfski worlds in 2024 – Kira has looked up to her since she was little, and describes her as an “absolute weapon”. But Kira has been training hard, and is hoping to win by a clear margin…

The men’s race looks as tight as anything, and hard to predict. Defending champion Gordon Harbrecht (GER) is a podium favourite, along with last year’s runner up Cory Hill (AUS) and local Hank McGregor (RSA). But there’s plenty of other top names including more former world champions who could challenge for the Top 5 or maybe even the podium. From South Africa, that list includes: Nicky Notten, Matt Fenn, Kenny Rice, Uli Hart, Mark Keeling, and the young Matt Coetzer. Notten is looking particularly strong after impressive racing at Marathon World Championships in Gyor Hungary a few weeks ago, and sources say his training is going well…

The doubles race (SS2) is looking like one of the best yet, with the main category being mixed gender racing. 2024’s world champs will be back again, the young crew of Georgia Singe / Uli Hart (RSA). And some top European crews are looking strong, including Walter Bouzan / Judit Verges (ESP) and Pierre Vilella / Thais Delrieux (FRA). But a bunch of other top names from South Africa are entering as well – Kira shares the inside scoop during her interview…

Thanks to Carbonology UK for sponsoring this episode of Paddlecast! Carbonology is one of the world’s leading surfski brands, and notably it’s the brand of choice for reigning world champion Kira Bester, who won her title last year racing the Carbonology Flash X LV (Low Volume) ski. Carbonology produces a great variety of options, not just for World Champions and elite paddlers, but also for beginner and intermediate paddlers and even for kids. Head over to carbonologysport.co.uk and contact [email protected] to learn more.

00:23 Introduction & Durban race preview

08:08 Top contenders to win the women’s race

21:15 Top contenders to win the men’s race

35:22 Previewing the SS2 mixed doubles race

39:23 Kira Bester interview

Useful Links:

Downwind Drag Race: https://www.instagram.com/p/DPRrBTQjZh1/

Downwind Diaries by South Africa Surf Ski: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcsCh_bzoUK9YOStqIzCStWRiq4hq2Iod

Paddler’s Pod interview with Durban race director Colin Simpkins: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7atqvyEhQ0OZY31wvvu8cU?si=IFTt_cVpTBKLMfQzM-KQHA&t=1712&pi=Tenkv2W2SC2LV 

Kira Bester on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kira.besterpaddling/

Ireland's most decorated paddler, Jenny Egan-Simmons, joins Paddlecast to talk everything Liffey.

The Liffey Descent is one of the world’s longest running paddling races and the most iconic race in Ireland. Paddlers from Ireland, the UK, Europe, South Africa, and around the world flock to Dublin to race 30 kilometres, 1 portage, and 10 weirs. Notable former winners include reigning marathon world champion Mads Brandt Pedersen of Denmark, and South Africans Hamish Lovemore and Clint Cook.

Aside from lush scenery and a raucously good local atmosphere, what differentiates the Liffey Descent is that it’s “a race of precision”. To get over each of the ten weirs successfully, paddlers often have a couple of options, but their positioning and approach has to be near perfect to avoid swimming or breaking the boat.

And because the race runs on a water release, practising the weirs ahead of time in race-day conditions is typically impossible.

The best thing to do is tap into the knowledge of someone local, perhaps a longtime member of the famous Salmon Leap Canoe Club that sits along the course. Even better, someone who’s raced before, or even won…

So as perhaps the most perfectly qualified paddler to talk about the Liffey Descent, here is Jenny Egan-Simmons on Paddlecast. Ireland’s most decorated canoeist, Jenny has won 20 international world championship and world cup level medals in both canoe sprint and canoe marathon. She also has 10 Liffey wins (11 if you count the one of three junior doubles races where she didn’t beat all the boys), was the first girl to win the junior boys doubles category, and has two Liffey records: Senior Mixed Doubles and Women’s K1.

The hardest part of the Liffey Descent is having a clean race. Meaning to finish the race with no swims, and the same boat you started with still intact. In this episode of Paddlecast, Jenny takes Billy and Betsy through the entire race from the start, to Straffan Weir, through “The Jungle”, over rapids and under bridges, and through the best approach to every weir and obstacle on the course. How can you race the Liffey clean? Listen to Jenny Egan-Simmons.

Special thanks to Jenny for joining us on Paddlecast, and best of luck to all the racers taking on the Liffey Descent this year!

#liffeydescent #riverliffey #visitireland #canoeingireland #jennyegansimmons #descentracing #canoemarathon #riverracing #liffeydescentweirguide #weirguide

00:22 Introducing The Liffey Descent & Jenny Egan-Simmons

Liffey Descent Weir Guide: How to Race a Clean Liffey

15:00 The Start & Straffan Weir

18:00 The Jungle

20:27 Temple Mills Weir, Vanessa Weir, Celbridge Rapids, Ghost Weir, Leixlip Lake, The Portage, Leixlip Rapids, Salmon Leap Bridge

23:24 Sluice Weir

27:28 Lucan Village & Weir

30:29 Anna Liffey Weir

31:45 Big V Weirs: Wren’s Nest Weir & Palmerstown Weir

35:34 Chapelizod Weir

36:48 Reflections on the Liffey, Top Contenders for 2025, The Future of the Liffey, & The Paddling Scene in Ireland

The Thames 200 Ultra may only be in its second year, but it’s already one of the fastest growing ultra paddling races in the world. 2025’s race drew some of the UK’s best marathon talent and offered exciting action all the way to the end with finishing times just minutes apart over 200 km for both the relay race and the non-stop solo race.

Billy and Betsy recap the Chelmsford vs. Richmond relay battle, speculate on how the race could have gone differently, and what it would have taken for Richmond to successfully defend their title; and recap the K1 solo fight to the finish between Tom Diaper and Isaac Blackman.

Scottish K1 Marathon Championships and Nith Descent, 27-28 September

Looking ahead, the Scottish K1 Marathon Championships and Nith Descent, both in southwest Scotland near Dumfries, are shaping up to hold some fun racing in the last weekend of September. The K1 marathon champs will be held on Loch Ken, with a long course of just 14 km. Anyone is welcome to race, regardless of whether you have an address in Scotland!

The Nith Descent on Sunday is looking like the perfect descent race for beginners or advanced paddlers alike. High water means that some of the trickier features will be washed out, and racers will fly down the 16 km course at speed. The race starts in Auldgirth (DG2 0UA) and finishes at the Nithsdale Amateur Rowing Club (NARC), with bridges, rapids including “The Boat Stopper”, and beautiful scenery. The race is open to paddlers in all types of craft including canoe, kayak or river SUP (e.g. K1/K2’s, Plastic, Canadian, Slalom, WWR, Sea Kayaks, Wavehoppers).

The whole weekend promises to have a fun party atmosphere.

Sign up for Scottish K1 Marathon Championships, Saturday 27th September: https://sca.justgo.com/Workbench/i/r/EventsAndBookings/booking-details/E10532457D9DFAF5F5AEC734E51314BFDAC18884

Sign up for the Nith Descent, Sunday 28th September: https://sca.justgo.com/Workbench/i/r/EventsAndBookings/booking-details/239EAC87B3BA0685034DC82B95ED8D4091C81795/

→ NOTE: You do not have to have an address in Scotland to race! Simply create an account on Paddle Scotland (about 2 minutes), add the right ticket type for you, and check out.

Breede River Canoe Marathon Recap

Over in the Southern Hemisphere, winter is coming to an end and the racing season is hotting up. Kenny Rice joins Paddlecast to talk about what differentiates the Breede from other South African river races, and recaps how his race with Mark Keeling went the other day.

The Warm Down: Round Gozo Record & Downwind Drag Race Leader

Matthew Schembri joins Paddlecast to talk about his new record for the fastest circumnavigation of the island of Gozo in Malta. And Billy speculates about just how well some of the top talent in the UK might go in Durban based on Terry Miller’s latest splits that have just topped the 2025 Downwind Drag Race tracker.

00:23 - Thames 200 Ultra Race Recap: The Closest Races

31:04 - Race Previews: Scottish K1 Marathon Championships & the Starsky Nith Descent

47:43 - Breede River Canoe Marathon, featuring Kenny Rice

59:42 - The Warm Down: New Record around Gozo featuring Matt Schembri, and Downwind Drag Race’s New Leader

Useful Links:

Save the Date for the Thames 200 Ultra 2026: https://www.thames200ultra.com

Check out Starsky’s Products: https://starskykayaking.com

Ask Rob about Starsky UK or racing at the Scottish K1 Marathon Championships & Nith Descent: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553185212023 or [email protected]

Watch the full video of Tom Dawson’s decent of the Nith in August 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4VZcsaDlvA

Watch the Breede River Canoe Marathon videos from this year: https://breedemarathon.co.za/video-gallery/

Read more about the Surfski Shack and their Gozo Circumnavigation: https://www.thesurfskishack.com/post/maltese-paddlers-shatter-records-in-round-gozo-circumnavigation

Follow Downwind Drag Race on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/downwinddragrace/

Billy and Betsy were both on the ground in Győr, Hungary for the 2025 World Championships which treated fans to thrilling races, surprising upsets, and tactical genius.

First up: the most exciting races. As incredible as it is to see one paddler dominate a race from start to finish, or see a crew that hasn’t lost a world title in years earn one more to keep up their streak… The best races have unexpected drama, tension, and uncertainty. The most exciting races are the ones where you don’t know who’s going to win until they’ve crossed the finish line. Where a Spanish crew who finished 4th in 2024 returns to take gold ahead of Hungarian on their home turf, because they’ve spent the last year perfecting their sprint finish after it cost them a medal last year. Where a paddler who hadn’t had an international medal from 2019-2025 earns a podium spot by sacrificing a wash and paddling for miles alone to prevent the woman behind her from catching up.

From debating and deciding which races have earned the “Most Exciting” title, Billy and Betsy move onto the stand-out paddlers. Not just the names you know who continued to thrill with their speed and skill, but the up-and-comers who outperformed expectations and started to make a name for themselves on the marathon scene.

Finally, Billy and Betsy reflect on the event – what Billy learned from racing and watching races, the insights Betsy gleaned from interviewing podium paddlers about their races, and how this World Championships will stay with them long after the last fan left the stands.

#marathoncanoe #marathonkayak #gyor2025 #visithungary #news #paddling #paddlecast

For a record 4th time, in the “City of Rivers”, Canoe Marathon World Championships starts in Gyor, Hungary this week. The best of the best will battle for “World Champion 2025” titles on the Danube itself to roaring crowds of local fans.

In this episode, Billy and Betsy preview the racing in depth. They start by examining the course, how it's changed since the last time Gyor hosted marathon world champs in 2015, and how the action might play out on the water.

Then they review the top contenders for the senior women's and senior men's races, go through their recent results and who's in good form, and commit to predictions for final podiums in the K1 races.

Will Melina Andersson take her second world championship title after her dominant performance at the World Games in China? Or will Vanda Kiszli take the title back on her home turf, and show everyone she's not done getting golds yet? Or perhaps the European champion Anna Sletsjoe, who beat Kiszli in a sprint finish, will find some of the same magic she had in Portugal and win in an upset...

In the men's race, Mads Pedersen is the defending champion and if it goes anything like the World Games did, he's likely to defend his title successfully. But the field is more competitive in Hungary, and word on the street (river) is that Andy Birkett is in better shape than his lack of international racing might indicate...

The doubles racing looks just as exciting, and K2 champion Adrian Boros who's K2 race in 2015 has become the stuff of legends, joins Paddlecast to talk about the course, the home turf advantage, and his strategy with partner Tamas Erdelyi to try and wrestle the crown away from the Portuguese on Sunday afternoon.

Betsy and Billy also touch on a few more exciting battles from other races, as well as the highlights that can be expected from the paracanoe racing. 2025 will be the first year that paracanoe is "officially" a world championship event, marking a big step forward in a sport that's been much more about sprint than distance. But the cross-over of top Paralympic sprinters like Serhii Yemilianov and now, in her international marathon debut, Jeannette Chippington, gives a small taste of the potential for marathon paracanoe to grow.

03:10 Course Preview (featuring Adrian Boros, and on-the-ground reporting from Billy)

13:37 Senior Women's Race Top Contenders (K1 and K2)

25:38 Senior Men's Race Top Contenders (K1 and K2)

49:48 Best Battles57:58 Paracanoe Preview

#marathonkayak #gyor2025 #marathoncanoe #worldchampionships

The Thames 200 Ultra, one of the most accessible and action-packed ultra paddling races in the world, starts Saturday. After its inaugural year in 2024, this year has more paddlers, more relay teams, and tighter racing!

Betsy and Billy preview this epic race in full – what makes it unique, why so many top end marathon paddlers are racing, who the most likely category winners are, and where to expect the tightest racing.

Several of the event’s strongest racers joined this episode to talk about why they’re racing, what could be the most difficult parts of the race, and what they’re most excited about. Special thanks to Michael Rees-Clark, Brynde Kreft, Isaac Blackman, Harry Gilbert, Adrian Angell, and the Barbarians C4 team including Tom Barnard and Maria Fisher.

Follow all the action this weekend LIVE on Paddler Media YouTube and the Paddle Daily social media accounts.

Who are you predicting to win? 

#thames200ultra #marathonkayaking #ultrapaddling #marathoncanoe

Follow the race:

Dot watching: https://www.thames200ultra.com/gpstracking

YouTube livestream: https://www.youtube.com/@paddlermedia/streams

Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1024665832605840

It might be the most iconic marathon race in the world. The Sella Descent starts with hundreds of boats on the beach while paddles, held by paddlers, are locked into a cage not dissimilar to the starting gate at a horse race. As soon as hundreds of thousands of spectators finish singing the Asturian anthem, the gates open, and racers break loose.

Easily the biggest event of the year for Asturians and many Spanish paddlers, the race also attracts top level international paddlers from many countries including the UK, South Africa, and even Australia. But with incomparably accurate knowledge of Ribadesella, and the advantage of being one of the strongest marathon kayak countries in the world, it was Spanish teams who dominated the podiums in 2025.

Walter Bouzan and Alberto Llera combined experience with youth to not only lead the four-boat front pack for the final 9 minutes of the race but then win an incredibly fast sprint finish against equally strong crews. Hungarian legends Adrian Boros / Tamas Erdelyi took silver, while Spaniards Javier Lopez / Pedro Vazquez took bronze. The top team of Llorens / Plaza made some seriously fast attempts to break into the front three, but just couldn’t quite make it round for a podium spot.

Billy asked Walter Bouzan about how his race went, what it was like to train with his new partner Alberto Llera, and what his secrets are to becoming a now 12-time Sella winner.

South African Matthew Fenn also joins this episode of Paddlecast to give an international perspective, and compare the shallow Sella to the high-volume South African rivers and how that affects race tactics.

In the women’s race, longtime Spanish international marathon paddlers Tania Fernandez Garcia and Tania Alvarez Yates finished first, an impressive 1.5 minutes ahead of the next fastest team. They were joined on the podium by fellow Spaniards Amaia Osaba / Llara Tuset, and Irati Osa / Arantza Toledo. Hungarians Panna Csepe / Panna Sinko just missed out on the podium.

This was the second win for “the two Tanias” as a team after their K2 win in 2023, and each of them also has a previous win separately. Because the women’s teams’ start positions are far back in the field, Tania and Tania had to overcome a huge amount of boat traffic to win their race – they started #303 and finished 61st overall.

Tania Alvarez joins this episode of Paddlecast to talk about how their race went, her 7 year partnership with Tania Fernandez, what it takes to win the race, and how she’d like to see the race evolve in the future.

The Thames 200 Ultra is coming up very soon on 23rd August, and entries are still open! This 200km endurance event offers both straight-through and relay race options, and promises to draw some of the fastest endurance paddlers in the country this year. Stay tuned for the upcoming Paddlecast preview episode!

In the last few pieces of news, Billy and Betsy recap two recent UK surfski selection races: Hayling Island and the Moray Firth (Scottish National Championships). The news finishes with a brief recap of the Avon Descent which had its first female SUP finisher this year, and a bit of news in the warm down about a failed expedition that’s worth reading about for the lessons learned.

01:10 Sella Descent - The Men’s Race

02:35 Walter Bouzan, in his own words

10:03 Matthew Fenn, in his own words

14:44 Sella Descent - The Women’s Race

15:51 Tania Alvarez, in her own words

24:06 Brits on the podium at the Sella

26:12 Thames 200 Ultra preview

30:19 Hayling Island and Moray Firth race recaps

36:27 Avon Descent

40:51 The Warm Down

Relevant links:

Thames 200 Ultra sign up and information: https://www.thames200ultra.com/race-entry 

Tashka Goswell’s account of her Avon Descent: https://www.facebook.com/groups/509865939182902 (search “Tashka Goswell”)

Tim Haines’ story about his failed expedition: www.facebook.com/whishik.samak/posts/pfbid02fxQWKYRnMFVQPXUCUVkyW3sta8EePXc8SFw2nsWUJzNUsQygEMXWH7H49QiFFw28l

In the Paddlecast preview episode last week, Billy and Betsy predicted epic battles at the World Games marathon kayak racing in Chengdu, China. The event, considered the Olympics of non-Olympic sports, delivered. And even better, some of the champions themselves join this episode to reveal the pivotal moments in their own races.

Both the men’s and women’s races quickly went from large packs to simple head-to-head races between the top two athletes: Melina Andersson (Sweden) versus Vanda Kiszli (Hungary), and Mads Brandt Pedersen (Denmark) versus Hamish Lovemore (South Africa).

And behind the top two were fierce fights for bronze medals, sprint finishes for top five placements, unexpected incidents that took a podium contender’s rudder out of commission and put another podium contender in the medical tent… And a cross-wind with big waves on Sunday that forced top athletes to change tactics mid-race.

In the women’s race, Melina Andersson looked strong out of the gate in both the short course and marathon events. But Vanda Kiszli was determined to challenge for the win, and stuck with Melina successfully until Melina’s superior portaging skills gave her an unbeatable lead.

Melina spoke with Paddlecast about how the race played out, when she knew she was going to win, and how she’s feeling about the competition in Gyor, Hungary where she’ll race at the world championships in a few weeks.

The action was hot in the chase group with Pernille Hostrup, Susanna Cicali, Maria Rei, Saskia Hockly, Eva Barrios, Rebecca Mann, and others. Several young athletes put down really impressive performances in the face of challenges, and the final sprint for bronze came down to Pernille Hostrup of Denmark versus Maria Rei of Portugal. The young Hostrup took the medal in the end.

Kitty Schiphorst from the Netherlands, who spoke with Paddlecast in the preview episode, also returned to talk about how the racing went for her. In her first international marathon race ever, she managed to make the top 10! Kitty thinks her surf lifesaving background where she’s used to paddling in difficult ocean conditions gave her an edge in Sunday’s conditions, where she had a blast. Watch out for Kitty in more marathons, maybe…

In the men’s race, sprinter Hamish Lovemore went into the short course on Saturday aiming to beat Mads Brandt Pedersen in a sprint finish, but the world champion marathoner beat him across the line! On Sunday, Mads did it again, with a few extra seconds of margin despite Hamish’s best efforts.

Hamish joined Paddlecast to speak about his race and whether there’s any way he could have taken that gold medal from Mads. He also talks about his upcoming goals for the Sprint World Championships in Milan, and how the bigger field at the Marathon World Championships in Gyor could affect the results in a few weeks.

The men’s chase pack was tight too, and featured major names in the sport including Jose Ramalho, Jeremy Candy, James Russell, Jon Amund Vold, Ivan Alonso… But it was the Hungarian Noe Balint and German Nico Paufler who managed to stay with the two leaders for much of the race in a pack of four, until they too were burnt out by Mads’ and Hamish’s speedy pace. The men gave it their all in exciting sprint finishes for 3rd and 5th place, where Jose Ramalho (Portugal) edged out Jeremy Candy (France) for bronze, and Noe Balint managed to just barely hold off James Russell (Great Britain) for 5th.

Stay tuned and hit ‘subscribe’ to make sure you don’t miss the next episode recapping the legendary Sella Descent, where the race’s winners share what it takes to win!

01:42 The Women’s Race

11:54 Melina Andersson in her own words

25:11 Kitty Schiphorst in her own words

29:04 The Men’s Race

31:13 Hamish Lovemore in his own words

49:20 Looking ahead to World Champs in Gyor

50:41 The Warm Down: Future of dragon boat?

Once every four years, twenty countries send their fastest marathon kayaker to battle for the World Games title. Quirky yet prestigious, the World Games offers an Olympics-style event for non-Olympic sports. In the Canoe category, the World Games will also feature Canoe Polo and Dragonboat.

Chengdu 2025 in China is only the second time that marathon canoe has featured as a full event (rather than invitational) at the World Games, with the first one being in Birmingham Alabama in 2022. And the competition this time around is looking fiercer than ever.

Almost all of the world’s best marathon kayakers are in China this weekend to face off for World Games titles that offer a four year reign.

In the men’s race, the field is so competitive that leading podium contenders Hamish Lovemore (South Africa) and James “Jimbo” Russell (Great Britain) both listed almost half the athletes as their biggest competition. Nico Paufler (Germany), Ivan Alonso (Spain), and Jose Ramalho (Portugal) are returning to defend their podium spots from 2022. Jon Amund Vold (Denmark) who just took bronze at European Championships will be fighting for a podium spot. And the reigning World Champion, with numerous World Championship titles, Mads Brandt Pederson will be in China to defend his 2022 gold.

The women’s race will feature the long-awaited showdown between Vanda Kiszli (Hungary) and Melina Andersson (Sweden). Kiszli has been near undefeated in marathon for the last 5-10 years, and Andersson is one of the few who have been able to beat her… most notably in a shock sprint finish at last year’s World Championships. It’s likely to be these two fighting it out at the front, but the battle for bronze could be very fierce with top contenders including Pernille Hostrup (Denmark), Rebecca Mann (Australia), Susanna Cicali (Italy), Maria Rei (Portugal), 2022 World Games bronze and silver medalist Eva Barrios (Spain), and Saskia Hockley (South Africa) with an outside chance for Kitty Schiphorst (Netherlands). The Dutch dark horse is known for her power in sprint, but only started marathon training six weeks prior to the World Games when her federation asked her to fill the spot at the last minute.

But with an unusually short long distance course of 20km with a high frequency of portages (8 portages), will the marathon play out differently than a typical World Championships or European Championships race? Billy and Betsy analyse the results and strengths of the top competitors, including with input from Hamish, Jimbo, and Kitty, to predict who will be in the top three and who has the best chance of taking the win.

You can watch the World Games live at https://live.theworldgames.org

Saturday August 9th

K1 Women Short Course Heat 1 - 9:20am local, 2:20am London, 9:20pm New York

K1 Women Short Course Heat 2 - 9:50am local, 2:50am London, 9:50pm New York

K1 Men Short Course Heat 1 - 10:50am local, 3:50am London, 10:50pm New York

K1 Men Short Course Heat 2 - 11:50am local, 4:50am London, 11:50pm New York

K1 Women Short Course Final - 5:00pm local, 10:00am London, 5:00am New York

K1 Men Short Course Final - 5:40pm local, 10:40am London, 5:40am New York

Sunday August 10th

K1 Women Marathon Final - 3:15pm local, 8:15am London, 3:15am New  York

K1 Men Marathon Final - 5:15pm local, 10:15am London, 5:15am New York

#marathoncanoe #marathonkayaking #worldgames #worldgamescanoe #planetcanoe #chengdu #worldgames2025