The inclusion of the in the WRF marks a fresh start for American and Panamerican rafting especially this year in occasion of the Panamerican Rafting Champs 2024 in Chile. The WRF, dedicated to promoting...
HEADLINE
After a challenging and intense week of races, the award ceremony on the last day crowned the World Rafting Champions of the Women, Mix and Para Rafting categories.
Italy 2, Women overall Champions
With 292 points, scored with two golds in RX and Slalom and a silver in the Downriver, Italy 2 is the overall Champion of the Women category: Christa Gruber, Francesca Leonardi, Miriam Waldboth and Martina Bonomi.
Second overall place to Letizia Lauri, Elodie Lumignon, Gaia Mascarello and Carlotta Scalvino of Italy 1 Women team, with 278 points.
Third overall place to Amélie Latouche, Angèle Murzeau, Louise Grigny, Marleen Koninckx and Marie Tessier of France 1, with 219 points.
Italy 1, Para Rafting overall Champions
In the Para Rafting category, that for the first time competed in the same rapids of the other categories, Italy 1 took the overall gold.
Marco Montagna, Riccardo Novella, Carlo Benciolini and Nicola Speri scored 290 points, with a first place in RX and Downriver and a second place in Slalom.
Second overall place to Abel Aber, Latimer Latimer, Hugo Latimer and Benjamin Pillerault of France 1, with 280 points.
Third overall place to Massimo Giandinoto, Rosario Sperandini, Damiano Casazza and Rinaldo Veneroni of Italy 2, with 240 points.
France 1, Mix overall Champions
Last but not least the Mix category crowned the hosts Marion Delorme, Coralie Yebenes, Cyril Audoit and Kevin Gix the overall Champions with 258 points. France 1 got the gold medal in the Slalom, the silver medal in the RX and got a ninth place in the Downriver.
Second overall place to Kiki Roeling, Benita Gober, Xandar van Os, Roel Bakker and Mark de Wit, the RX winners of Netherlands, with 248 points.
Third overall place to Sara Amonini, Valentina Volo, Nicholas Gheno and Mattia Felini of Italy 1, with 244 points.
The world Champions have been awarded by the WRF President Danilo Barmaz, the FFCK President Jean Zoungrana and the FFCK Technical Director Gianni Cappai, and raised the White Card of Peace and Sport.
The White Card, symbol of peace, raised on the podium at the World Rafting Champs
Everyone can contribute to «Live Together» and «Peacemakers Project»:
https://www.peace-sport.org/world-rafting-championship-donation-page/
and become an active part of this great movement.
The WRF President declared closed the 2021 World Rafting Championship, in the centre of L'Argentière-la-Bessée.
We thank everyone who took part in this event, that was not only a week of race: during these days the Responsible of the WRF Judical Commission leaded a 2 days judges' workshop in the WRF Centre of Excellence, in order to be fully prepared for the event;
furthermore the V level guide Mr David Alemanni organised a meeting for the team leaders about the criticality of river training, discussing the different vewpoints and then practising in the last part of the slalom course on Durance.
We look forward to meet you all by the river again, paddling together.
Second day of event at L’Argentière-la-Bessée and everyone is finally arrived on Durance river: 226 athletes from 19 countries are now in the French Alps and started the official training in the II-III level rapids.
Downriver training, 3kms finishing at the Stade d’eau vive “Michel Baudry”
The Downriver race will be 3 kms long and is scheduled for tomorrow morning as the first competition of the event, but the stream is going to raise tomorrow.
This morning the teams, divided into 2 groups, tried the last 2 kms of the Downriver, that includes the Slalom and RX course as the final part.
Tomorrow morning the teams will scout the first part, 1 km long, of the river, before the start of the competition.
Slalom training
This afternoon, after the Downriver training, the rafters paddled in the Stade d’eau vive “Michel Baudry”, trying the possible run of the Slalom race.
The number of the gates will be official on the race day, so the teams can paddle studying the possible combinations of green (downstream) and red (upstream) gates.
The possible gates’ number is between 10 to 15, while almost 50 gates are usually settled in the slalom course for canoe training.
Opening ceremony in L’Argentière-la-Bessée
28 men teams, 9 women teams, 13 mix teams and 5 Para Rafting teams finally attended the opening ceremony, raising the White Card, becoming part of the Peace and Sport movement that promotes international cooperation through the power of sport.
The opening ceremony in the centre of L’Argentière-la-Bessée saw the major Mr Patrick Vigne, the FFCK Rafting Manager Mr Bruno Carlier and the WRF President Mr Danilo Barmaz welcoming the athletes in the center of the village, in presence of the Peace and Sport Ambassador, the Olympian Marlène Harnois, who raised the White Card with the rafters, a symbol of peace and international cooperation through sport.
White Card raised by the rafters at the World Champs
The 2021 World Rafting Championship is officially inaugurated, and tomorrow morning the first paddle strokes will open the Downriver: eyes on Durance!
Stay tuned on our Telegram for programmes and live results: https://t.me/worldrafting