Strong German sprint canoe team looks to take advantage of home water

The sprint canoe competition is under way at the European Championships Munich 2022, bringing a raft of global superstars to the Olympic Regatta Centre.

Home nation Germany field a strong team and will be hoping for a good return of medals but their European rivals came to Bavaria with high hopes of causing some big upsets.

The 34-year-old canoeist, Sebastian Brendel, will be one the Germany's biggest hopes for the gold medal, both in C2 together with Tim Hecker and in the C1 1,000m event.

The three-time Olympic champion is already holder of 13 European titles and the chances are really high he will add to his tally at a home Championships.

Brendel and Hecker are the current world and European champions in men's C2 1,000m.

Another exciting race is expected in men's kayak 1,000m with many strong names on the start line, but two are standing out. 33-year-old Portuguese kayaker Fernando Pimenta and 25-year-old Hungarian Balint Kopasz have been ruling the discipline for the past couple of seasons and exchanging the top position at world and European Championships.

Kopasz is the reigning world champion - he won the title 10 days ago in Canada, while Pimenta took silver.

In the last season, the roles were reversed. Pimenta took the world title in front of his Hungarian colleague. Balint comes to Munich as a defending European Champion. And in 2018 it was Pimenta who won ahead of Kopasz.

"We are rivals on the water but out of it we have a good relationship,” said Pimenta.

“We congratulate each other if we win or lose. I like him a lot, because he is very humble. I hope he will be in canoeing for a long time, representing his country and I hope to do the same with Portugal.”

In the women’s competition, there are several very strong names, with Ukraine's Liudmyla Luzan, Hungary's Virag Balla and Spain's Antia Jacome and Maria Corbera, Germany's Lisa Jahn fighting for the top spots.

The women's kayak events include multiple Olympic, world and European medallists. Denmark's Emma Aastrand Jorgensen, Anna Lucz from Hungary, Polish kayaker Marta Walczykiewicz, Germany's Jule Hake will face a strong competition in this year's bright stars Anja Osterman from Slovenia and Anamaria Govorcinovic from Croatia.

The latter returned from the World Championships with a silver and bronze medal, while Osterman won silver in the 200m event in Canada, the event where she won in both editions of the 2022 World Cup.

"I am looking forward to the European Championships," said Osterman.

“My goals are high, especially after the world championships. Lisa Carrington will not be here, so this means I might even win. But I need to go step by step, you need to qualify for the final first. If I will paddle as I know I can, I am sure I can get the places I wish at the European Championships.”

Another events to watch is undoubtedly the men’s and women’s K4 500m. In the men’s, favourites Germany will start with Max Rendschmit, Tom Liebscher, Jacob Schopf and Max Lemke. Their main rivals will include teams from Ukraine, Slovakia, Spain and Hungary, who have also been winning the medals over the past four years.

In the women's K4 500m, Slovakia returns with its crew after 25 years of absence at this Championships in Munich. Hungary, Denmark and Poland – the reigning world champions – are the ones to watch.