The opening stage brought together a strong international field across K1 and C1 categories, from Under 14 to Under 23, with young athletes competing in both Slalom and Speed Slalom. As one of the key development circuits in European canoe slalom, the PEU Junior Slalom Cup once again offered the next generation of paddlers an important international platform to gain experience, race under pressure and measure themselves against athletes from different countries.
Italy made the most of home advantage, taking several overall category victories and showing the strength of its young paddlers across the programme. Among the Italian highlights were Andrea Nardo, winner of K1 Under 18 Men, Vittoria Cuignon, winner of K1 Under 16 Women, Mattia Poletto, winner of K1 Under 23 Men, and open category victories for Francesca Malaguti and Tommaso Barzon.
Germany also enjoyed a very strong opening weekend, with overall victories for Christin Heydenreich in C1 Under 23 Women, Erik Sprotowsky in C1 Under 23 Men, Oliver Reys in K1 Under 16 Men and Helene Schmidt in K1 Under 18 Women.
Spain, Slovenia, Slovakia and Switzerland also featured among the category winners, confirming the competitive depth of the opening round. Pau Vicente and Toni Herreros delivered victories for Spain in C1 Under 14 Men and C1 Under 18 Men, while Slovenia celebrated wins through Sara Belingar in K1 Under 23 Women and Jakob Skander in K1 Under 14 Men. Slovakia’s Adam Rasek won C1 Under 16 Men, while Switzerland’s Leni Uffer took the top place in C1 Under 18 Women.
The overall winners from Ivrea were:
C1 Winners
C1 Open Men: Paolo Ceccon, Italy
C1 Under 23 Women: Christin Heydenreich, Germany
C1 Under 23 Men: Erik Sprotowsky, Germany
C1 Under 18 Women: Leni Uffer, Switzerland
C1 Under 18 Men: Toni Herreros, Spain
C1 Under 16 Women: Elizaveta Riabikova, AIN
C1 Under 16 Men: Adam Rasek, Slovakia
C1 Under 14 Men: Pau Vicente, Spain
K1 Winners
K1 Open Women: Francesca Malaguti, Italy
K1 Open Men: Tommaso Barzon, Italy
K1 Under 23 Women: Sara Belingar, Slovenia
K1 Under 23 Men: Mattia Poletto, Italy
K1 Under 18 Women: Helene Schmidt, Germany
K1 Under 18 Men: Andrea Nardo, Italy
K1 Under 16 Women: Vittoria Cuignon, Italy
K1 Under 16 Men: Oliver Reys, Germany
K1 Under 14 Women: Mila Vailati, Italy
K1 Under 14 Men: Jakob Skander, Slovenia
After the opening round in Ivrea, the PEU Junior Slalom Cup continues its busy calendar. Paddle Europe is still awaiting the official results from Cup II, which will be published and integrated as soon as they are confirmed.
This weekend, attention turns to Flattach, Austria, where the next stage of the circuit will take place on 20 and 21 June 2026. With the season now underway and several athletes already making a strong early statement, the Austrian race is expected to bring another important weekend of competition for Europe’s young canoe slalom talents.
Results from Ivrea can be found
here
20.6.2026
