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Romania's Matei Barbu and Italy's Cecilia Pampinella claimed the two headline Open titles, while Lourenço Viveiros of Portugal and Greece's Ioanna Papadimitriou became the first Junior European Sprint champions.

With the Sprint programme expanded beyond the Open categories contested at the inaugural European Championships in Szeged in 2024, a total of seven official European titles were awarded across Open, Junior and Masters competition.

Barbu takes Open Men's title in a close final

One of the strongest fields of the day produced one of its biggest stories as Matei Barbu claimed the Open Men's European title for Romania.

Barbu crossed the line in 21.915 seconds, just 0.126 seconds ahead of Lithuania's Vadim Korobov, who took silver in 22.041.

Spain's Manuel Hoyuela completed the podium in 22.688.

The result represents another major step for Barbu, who was silver medallist in the Junior Men's Sprint at the 2025 ICF SUP World Championships and has now moved straight onto the top step of the European Open podium.

Behind him, Korobov again demonstrated his consistency at the highest level. The Lithuanian was already European silver medallist in Szeged in 2024 and also took silver in the Open Sprint at the 2025 World Championships.

Hoyuela also repeated his position from the inaugural European Championships, having already taken bronze in the Open Sprint in Szeged two years ago.

Denmark's Christian Andersen finished fourth in 22.945, ahead of Donato Freens of the Netherlands.

Pampinella succeeds Novitskaia as European champion

There was also a new champion in the Open Women's competition as Cecilia Pampinella delivered Italy its first gold medal of the championships.

Pampinella stopped the clock at 26.874 seconds, finishing almost one second ahead of Poland's Hanna Kaminska, who took silver in 27.848.

Kaminska continued her progression after winning bronze in the Junior Sprint at the 2025 World Championships.

Poland celebrated a second medal in the same final through Marta Apanasewicz, who finished third in 28.708.

For Apanasewicz, it was another European Sprint bronze after she also finished third in the inaugural Open Women's final in 2024.

Germany's Skadi Langbein was fourth, just ahead of Italy's Claudia Postiglione, the reigning Junior Sprint World Champion.

The two leading athletes from Szeged 2024 were also in the final, with defending champion Natalia Novitskaia finishing sixth and 2024 silver medallist Kyriaki Logotheti seventh.

Viveiros wins Junior Men's thriller by 0.014 seconds

The closest European title race of the day came in the Junior Men's final.

Portugal's Lourenço Viveiros produced a winning time of 22.871 seconds, beating Greece's Manos Farsaris by just 0.014 seconds.

Farsaris crossed the line in 22.885, while Germany's Marlon Cem Daskiran took bronze in 23.031.

Viveiros arrived in Crete with international pedigree after winning silver in the Junior Men's Technical race at the 2025 World Championships, but his victory in Agios Nikolaos gives him a first European Sprint title.

Daskiran also returned to a European podium after taking Junior Men's Long Distance silver at the 2024 European Championships.

Another 2025 World Championship medallist, Germany's Benyam Bossack, finished fourth.

Papadimitriou delivers Junior Women's gold for Greece

Home supporters had plenty to celebrate in the Junior Women's final as Ioanna Papadimitriou became European champion.

The Greek paddler won in 28.870 seconds, with Italy's Lisa Venturelli taking silver in 29.710.

A second Greek athlete reached the podium as Erasmia Malekaki finished third in 30.050.

Malekaki already had a major international medal to her name after finishing second in the Junior Women's Technical competition at the 2025 World Championships.

Greece narrowly missed adding another athlete to the podium, with Evdoxia Gialama finishing fourth, while Italy's Sveva Sabato, the 2025 Junior Technical World Champion, placed fifth.

Teichmann turns silver into gold in Masters 40+

Germany's Martin Teichmann became the European Masters 40+ Men's Sprint champion with a winning time of 27.389 seconds.

Greece's George Fragkos finished second in 28.192, while another Greek athlete, Emmanouil Sarantonis, completed the podium in 29.349.

The result reversed the order of two familiar names from the 2024 European Championships. In Szeged, Fragkos won the Masters Long Distance European title ahead of Teichmann. Two years later, it was the German who took gold in the Sprint.

Culea and Tsaoutou take Masters 50+ titles

Romania collected its second gold medal of the day through Gabriel Culea in the Masters 50+ Men.

Culea won in 29.136 seconds, ahead of Italy's Daniele Cani in 29.730 and Spain's Pablo Perez Vazquez in 29.990.

In the Masters 50+ Women, Greece's Penny Tsaoutou added another major title to an already impressive international record.

Tsaoutou won the European Sprint crown in 35.329 seconds, with Great Britain's Sara Maxey taking silver and Andrea Richardson bronze.

The Greek athlete came into the championships as the 2025 Masters 50+ Long Distance World Champion and Sprint World Championship silver medallist.

Luchetta first across the line in Masters 40+ Women

The Masters 40+ Women's race was won by Italy's Claudia Luchetta in 34.328, ahead of compatriot Vira Lemekha and AIN athlete Olga Merkulova.

However, the category did not meet the minimum participation requirement of five countries and therefore no European Championship title was awarded in Masters 40+ Women.

The results from this race are consequently not included in the official European Championship medal table.

Greece leads after the opening day

Seven European Sprint titles were shared between five different nations.

Greece finished the opening day with the largest medal haul, collecting two gold, two silver and two bronze medals.

Romania also won two titles, through Barbu and Culea, while Italy, Germany and Portugal each celebrated a European champion.

Nine countries reached the podium across the seven official championship events.

European Championship medal table – Sprint

The Masters 40+ Women's race is not included in the medal table, as the category did not meet the minimum requirement for the awarding of a European Championship title.

After a day dedicated entirely to straight-line speed, the championships continue on Saturday with the Technical competition, where another set of European champions will be crowned in Agios Nikolaos.