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WRF 2021/2024 Ordinary Plenary Assembly

One month after the World Rafting Championship 2021 in France, the members of the WRF Executive Board and Commissions started the first meetings with the eyes on the next 4 years.

The WRF 2021/2024 Ordinary Plenary Assembly held in L'Argentière-la-Bessée confirmed Barmaz Danilo (Italy) President for the second term, supported by the renewed Executive Board composed by Ago Blerina (Albania), Purjakov Boris (Serbia), Grigoriev Oleg (Russia) and Yardımcı Fikret (Turkey), the Representative elected by the Technicians’ Commission Ghaziasgar Seyed Hadi (Iran) and the Representative elected by the Athletes' Commission Martinez Martin (Argentina).

Carlier Bruno (France), Larrea Fermin Perez (Spain), Tomasini Marco (Malta), Buzzo Navarro Alejandro Daniel (Venezuela), Fernandes Rebeca (Brasil), Gautam Sudip (Nepal), Singh Sikand Shaukat Pal (India) and Takrouni Mohsen (Tunisia), together with the Executive Board Members, will compose the WRF Board of Directors.

WRF Board of Directors

“I would like to thank you for the trust you have placed in me to lead the WRF for this new four-year period. In these first three years we have done a lot but we still have to do a lot; we have created and we are creating a great team completing and strengthening our various committees to ensure that they are increasingly operational and effective.

One month ago the World Championship was concluded in France and, despite the enormous difficulties caused by the pandemic, we proved to be strong and resolute, bringing the event to an end with an excellent media success and this is a great good for our sport in this difficult period the challenged the organisation and especially the athletes every day.

What I can promise you is a constant commitment to our cause by creating a cohesive team where everyone is and feels a fundamental part of this movement.

The great family of the WRF can and must aspire to great results and this can only happen with the help of all in particular of the National Federations, the real engine of our project”

With these words Mr Danilo Barmaz, flanked by the WRF General Secretary Matteo Benciolini, inaugurated the second term of his Presidency and opened the WRF Ordinary Plenary Assembly after the World Rafting Championship, where he welcomed the delegates from the National Federations.

Danilo Barmaz, WRF President

The Congress held in France has been an important meeting that gave a positive feedback of the last three years. The RX discipline, the Para-Rafting and Mix teams, that WRF introduced as new format 3 years ago, are exponentially growing and showing the potential of our amazing sport: this is a new beginning and the great results we achieved in the recent years are now a new, solid starting point.

RX discipline, World Rafting Championship 2021

Bearing in mind the values that our athletes keep reminding us, WRF is totally committed in the further development of the rafting sport, consolidating and improving its internal structure in both the agonistic and commercial fields, and at the same time working for the recognition by International Sport Organisations: the Olympics are a concrete dream.

WRF 2021/2024 Ordinary Plenary Assembly

France 2021 is over: Women, Mix and Para Rafting podiums closed the World Championship

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.

Mix, Women and Para Rafting teams on the last day: Durance awarded the RX Champions

On 3rd July the last stage of the RX for Women, Mix and ParaRafting closed the race week and awarded the podiums with important points, that decided the overall results.

In the Women category the four teams who made it to the semifinals, after the Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the knock out, were Turkey 2, Slovakia, Italy 1 and Italy 2.

Women, Italy 1, RX silver

Italy 1, Letizia Lauri, Elodie Lumignon, Gaia Mascarello and Carlotta Scalvino, was leading the RX qualification with the best category time of 1'00.61. They won the semifinal with Turkey 2, Dilara Dinler, Deniz Dinler, Rojda Korkmali, Gözde Aksoy and Tijda Yesil, reaching the final A.

Women, Italy 2, RX gold

Slovakia lost the semifinal to Italy 2: Christa Gruber, Francesca Leonardi, Martina Bonomi and Miriam Waldboth from Italy 2 reached and won the Final A against Italy 1, who got the RX silver.

The Final B gave the bronze to Slovakia: Petra Solovicovà, Hana Derkovà, Laura Krutà and Nina Šuchovà.

Women, Slovakia, RX bronze

The Para Rafting category saw a close battle between the 2 teams from Italy and the hosts, France 1 and France 2.

The final B gave the bronze medal to Italy 2: Massimo Giandinoto, Rosario Sperandini, Rinaldo Veneroni and Damiano Casazza.

Para-Rafting, Italy 2, RX bronze

Fourth place for France 2: Thomas Caviole, Steven Batellier, Erwan Dorigny and Yannick Le Guellec.

France 1, who stopped the clock on an incredible time of 1'00.22 leading the RX qualification, got the silver in the final A: Abel Aber, Latimier Latimier, Hugo Latimier and Benjamin Pillerault.

Para Rafting, France 1, RX silver

First place for Italy 1: Marco Montagna, Riccardo Novella, Carlo Benciolini and Nicola Speri, who doubled the downriver gold with 120 points.

Para Rafting, Italy 1, RX gold

The RX Mix category saw challenging matches, where the strategy was not only in the position of the 2 women and 2 men on the raft, but also watching the opponents' lines and dynamic decisions, especially in the upstream gates.

The four teams, out of 13, who paddled the semifinal were Slovakia 2 vs France 1, who already got the gold in the Slalom, and Netherland vs France 2.

Mix, Netherland, RX gold

Final A gave the golden 120 points to Netherland: Kiki Roeling, Benita Gobel, Xandar van Os, Roel Bakker and Mark de Wit.

Mix, France 1, RX silver

Second place to France 1: Marion Delorme, Coralie Yebenes, Cyril Audoit and Kevin Gix.

France 2 lost the Final B to Slovakia 2, who got the RX Mix bronze: Petra Solovicovà, Hana Derkovà, Jakub Chynoradský and Dominik Chynoradský.

Mix, Slovakia 2, RX bronze

120, 108 and 96 points went to the podiums of the RX, that confirmed some medals and changed other overall rankings.

The overall winners have been announced in the closing ceremony.

Lights on for Italy: RX awards the first World Champions in France

After the RX qualification on the first day of race and a challenging afternoon with a first phase of selection, the knock out phase 2 turned the lights on in the whitewater stadium on Durance river, France. 16 teams faced the whitewater course studying the opponents’ tactics and the couple of gates in strategic passages.

RX night on Durance river

After the spectacular phases 2 and 3 the teams who made it to the semifinal were Chile 1 (who won the previous runs with Croatia 2 and Slovenia 2), Slovakia 1 (who won phase 1 with Morocco, phase 2 with Turkey 2 and phase 3 with Italy 2, Argentina (who won with Bulgaria and Netherland 1) and the favoured to win Italy 1, with already 180 points from the gold in the Downriver and Slalom (who won with France 1 and Colombia).

RX semifinal: Slovakia 1 and Chile 1

Slovakia 1 lost the semifinal match with Chile 1, who got the access to the Final A, but went to the Final B and won the RX bronze: Rastislav Kveták, Jakub Chynoradský, Dominik Chynoradský, Viktor Kveták and Šimon Krempaský. the third place in RX gave Slovakia 1 a 5th place overall with 210 points.

Chile 1 winning with Croatia 2

Silver in the RX for Lorenzo Simon Gomez Suazo, Ivan Correa, Ricardo Pineda, Jorge Valdes Castillo and Victor Verdugo Astete, Chile 1.

The 4th place of Argentina in the RX gave them 90 important points for the overall ranking.

Italy 1 on the finish line of RX

The RX final A, between Italy 1 and Chile 1, confirmed the first step of the podium for the Italians Pietro Fratton, Fabio Martini, Zeno Martini and Lorenzo Mastella, who are officially, in the men category, the overall World Rafting Champions 2021.

Italy 1, gold overall

Silver medal overall goes to Dario Morandi, Michele Pattoglio, Francesco Regina and Giordi Sarteur from Italy 2 with 236 points: second place in the downriver, second place in the slalom and fifth place in the RX.

Italy 2, silver overall

Bronze overall for Matias Maximiliano Cordero, Mauro Solano, Denis Orlando Gelves and Juan Martìn Martinez from Argentina with 229 points: third place in the downriver, fourth place in the slalom and a final fourth place in the RX.

Argentina, bronze overall

Men category faced all the three discipline and ended their races in L'Argentière-La Bessée, but 3 categories still have to paddle a crucial RX tomorrow: stay tuned for Women, Para Rafting and Mix teams!

FFCK-WRF Joint Press Release - Rafting World Championships - L'Argentiére

Photo: Eric CAUSSE

The first World Champions 2021 will be crowned tonight: 21.30 C.E.T. stay tuned!

After the RX qualifications from yesterday the men category will finish the World Rafting Championship 2021 tonight.

The knock out phase started this afternoon, without the 7 teams who got the best 7 times who will access directly to the phase 2 tonight at 21: Italy 1, Italy 2, Croatia 1, Chile 1, Russia, Turkey 1 and Argentina.

Phase 1 saw 18 teams paddling in the Stade d’eau vive Michel Baudry, and the 9 of them who won this knock out will paddle in the phase 2 tonight.

Slovenia 2 (Bulgaria 2 out), Slovenia 1 (Chile 2 out), Croatia 2 (Malta 2 out), Slovakia 1 (Morocco out), Turkey 2 (Albania out), Bulgaria 1 (Netherland 2), Netherland 1 (Montenegro out), Colombia (Belgio out) and France 1 (Serbia 1 out) are the 9 winners from Phase 1.

Knock out Phase 1, RX, Men team

These 9 winners of the phase 1 and the 7 teams with the best time in RX qualification will face the round of 16 at 21.30 tonight.

RX discipline can change the partial rankings awarding the podium with 120, 108 and 96 points.

The leading team is currently Italy 1, followed by the teammates from Italy 2. Provisional bronze to Russia. Argentina is close got the podium with just a 4 points gap and fifth provisional position is detained by Croatia 1.

Tonight we will have the first World Rafting Champions.

RX qualifications: close battles around a fast minute of selection

A fresh afternoon on 30th June, in the Stade d’eau vive Michel Baudry, saw more than 50 teams paddling in the 400m whitewater venue for the RX qualification.

Based on the these times, the athletes will compete on Friday and Saturday in the knock out phase, that will crown the RX Champions with 120 points.

Italy 1, Women team

In the women category Italy 1, with Letizia Lauri, Elodie Lumignon, Gaia Mascarello and Carlotta Scalvino, crossed the finish line with the best category time of 1’00.61.

Second time, one second away from the the first team, to Italy 2 who stopped the clock at 1’01.82: Martina Bonomi, Christa Gruber, Francesca Leonardi and Miriam Waldboth. Third time for Chile that closed a provisional podium with just a 2 seconds difference from the first (provisional) step: Nicole Plagemann, Tabata Araya Soto, Costanza Molina and Camila Ortega Ilancafilo from Chile 1 with 1’02.62.

Italy 1, Men team

The first three men teams are in a gap of less than 50 cents: Italy 1 (56.19) with Pietro Fratton, Fabio Martini, Zeno Martini and Lorenzo Mastella, ahead of Italy 2 (56.46) with Michele Pattoglio, Dario Morandi, Francesco Regina and Giordi Sarteur and Croatia 1 (56.55) with Danko Herceg, Luka Obadic, Tomislav Hohnjec and Jadran Zonjic and Ivan Tolic.

France 1, Para Rafting team

Para Rafting category saw the France 1 team put down a great time of 1’00.22 after a clear run in the venue: the fastest Abel Aber, Latimier Latimier, Hugo Latimier and Benjamin Pillerault, were just one second ahead of Italy 1 (1’01.92) with Riccardo Novella, Marco Montagna, Carlo Benciolini and Nicola Speri. Third time for Italy 2 (1’05.17) with Massimo Giandinoto, Rosario Sperandini, Damiano Casazza and Rinaldo Veneroni.

Chile 1, Mix team

Mix teams closed the race day with an incredible time of 59.82 by Chile 1: Yarela Munoz, Camila Ortega Ilancafilo, Ivan Correa and Paz Letelier.

The hosts from France 1 followed with a very challenging gap: 1'00.20 for Cyril Audoit, Marion Delorme, Kevin Gix and Coralie Yebenes.

Just a tenth of a second later we have the third time of Netherland: 1’00.30 for Kiki Roeling, Jenita Gobel, Xandar Van Os, Roel Bakker and Mark de Wit.

Olympian and Peace and Sport Ambassador Marlène Harnois

The IOC member and AIOWF President Ivo Ferriani, the President of the International Federation Sport Climbing Marco Scolaris, the FFCK Rafting Director Bruno Carlier awarded the Downriver Champions at the award ceremony in the evening, in the presence of the WRF President Danilo Barmaz, the major of L’Argentière-la-Bessée Patrick Vigne and the Peace and Sport Ambassador Marlène Harnois.

Challenging but awesome Slalom Day at the Worlds

Slalom day in L'Argentière-La Bessée on 1st July: 4 categories paddled 2 runs that awarded the podiums with 100, 90 and 80 points for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd best time (first or second manche).

Women, Men, Para Rafting and Mix teams faced 10 challenging gates in the Stade d’eau vive Michel Baudry: 6 green gates (downstream) and 4 red gates (upstream).

The penalties, especially in the upstream lines on gates 1, 3, 4 and 9, made the difference in the two manche.

The touches in the 2 manche changed the provisional podiums after the first run, where many teams didn’t risk it all in order to get a clean run with 0 penalties and a valid time. The second manche saw the overall podiums changing.

Italy 2, Women, Slalom winners

In the women category the Slalom winners are Martina Bonomi, Christa Gruber, Francesca Leonardi and Miriam Waldboth, who got the silver in the Downriver: Italy 2, after a 50 seconds penalties in the first manche, got 0 penalties in the second run and the best category time of 134,39, almost 10 seconds ahead from the other Italian team.

The compatriots from Italy 1, who dominated the first manche with a touch in gate 10 (5 seconds penalty), run a clean second descent that improved their slalom points and assured Letizia Lauri, Elodie Lumignon, Gaia Mascarello and Carlotta Scalvino a second place, 143,58.

Bronze medal to Chile with 153,76: no touch and almost one second less than the fist run (where they had two 5 seconds penalties on the red gates 1 and 4): Nicole Plagemann, Camila Ortega Ilancafilo, Yarela Munoz and Tabata Araya Soto.

Italy 1, Men, Slalom winners raising the WhiteCard of Peace and Sport

Also the men category rankings changed 2 times during the slalom day.

Italy 1, Fabio Martini, Zeno Martini, Pietro Fratton and Lorenzo Mastella, won the second manche and got the best category time with 117,10,

2 seconds of advantage on Nikita Zhuravlev, Vladimir Kazanskiy, Vladimir Ananev and Ilya Lukyantsev from Russia, second place with 119,49 and a clean run.

A gap of 2 cents away from the silver medal gave the third place to Italy 2, with the time that was leading in the first manche ahead of Argentine: 119,51 for Dario Morandi, Francesco Regina, Michele Pattoglio and Giordi Sarteur.

France 1, Para Rafting, Slalom winners

The hosts got their first gold in the Para Rafting category with an incredible time (the ninth in total) of 131,44 in the second run: with 0 penalties in both the runs Abel Aber, Latimier Latimier, Hugo Latimier and Benjamin Pillerault from France 1 are the World Para Rafting Champions of Slalom.

Second place for Italy 1, with the best time in the first manche: 149,84, with one touch on the last red gate: Marco Montagna, Riccardo Novella, Carlo Benciolini and Nicola Speri.

Third place for Italy 2 with 157,05 and no penalties in the first manche: Massimo Giandinoto, Rosario Sperandini,Damiano Casazza and Rinaldo Veneroni.

France 1, Mix, Slalom winners

Last but not least France 1 doubled the Slalom gold in the mix category: Marion Delorme, Coralie Yebenes, Cyril Audoit and Kevin Gix. With 134,60 and 0 penalties they lead the first and second manche.

2 seconds more for Chile 1: 136,80 in the second manche gave the silver to Camila Ortega Ilancafilo, Yarela Munoz, Ivan Correa and Paz Letelier.

Third place for Sara Amonini, Valentina Volo, Nicholas Gheno and Mattia Felini from Italy 1 who stopped the clock on the best time in the first run: 139,38, with 1 penalty on gate 4 during the first run.

Colombia Rafting team

The most dynamic discipline is starting this afternoon and will award the RX winners after the strategic knock out phase.

Downriver opens the race days in France

First day of race in France: the 3 kms Downriver opens the competing part of the week, with the start in the Durance gorge with 20 cubic meters per second. The water flow doubles with the Gyronde tributary in L’Argentière-la-Bessée, reaching 43 cubics per second in the Stade d’eau vive Michel Baudry.

The first team who started paddling and opened the competition is the same who got the gold. Downriver Champions in the Women category are from Italy 1: Letizia Lauri, Elodie Lumignon, Gaia Mascarello and Carlotta Scalvino stopped the chronometer on 12’37.21. Second place to the compatriots from Italy 2: Martina Bonomi, Christa Gruber, Francesca Leonardi and Miriam Waldboth with 12’44.95. Chile, with almost 10 seconds of gap from the winners, got the bronze with 12’48.99: Nicole Plagemann, Tabata Araya Soto, Costanza Molina and Camila Ortega Ilancafilo.

Durance river

The man category awarded Italy 1 with the best time overall: 11’47.03 for Pietro Fratton, Zeno Martini and Fabio Martini, Lorenzo Mastella.

With a gap of 5 seconds Italy 2 won the second place: Dario Morandi, Michele Pattoglio, Francesco Regina and Giordi Sarteur followed their compatriots with 11’52.99.

The third place in the Downriver goes to South America: Juan Martin Martinez, Denis Orlando Gelves, Mauro Solano and Matias Maximiliano Cordero brought the bronze medal to Argentina.

Para Rafting

Para Rafting brings, for the first time, Para athletes paddling in the same section of the normo athletes, into III level rapids.

Gold to Italy also in this category: Italy 1 with 12’43.01 composed by Riccardo Novella, Marco Montagna, Carlo Benciolini, Nicola Speri, 20 seconds ahead of France 1 (13’03.81) who got the silver: Abel Aber, Latimier Latimier, Hugo Latimier and Benjamin Pillerault. Back to Italy for the third place: Italy 2 with Massimo Giandinoto, Rosario Sperandini, Damiano Casazza and Rinaldo Veneroni (13’10.83).

MIX TEAMS: 2 women and 2 men

Last but not least, in the mix cathegory, 1 second of advantage assured the first place to Sara Amonini, Valentina Volo, Nicholas Gheno and Mattia Felini from Italy 1, with 12’28.24. 12’29.49 for Netherlands: Jenita Gobel, Kiki Roeling, Xandar Van Os, Roel Bakker and Mark de Wit.

Italy 2 closes the mix podium with 12’30.55: Francesca Fontanive, Silvia Venturini, Michele Songini, Riccardo Colombo.

First discipline gone and awarded the first, second and third teams with 80, 72 and 64 points.