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The first full day of racing at the 2026 Paddle Europe Marathon Championships in Bascov, Pitesti, Romania, delivered an intense Short Race programme, with eight European titles decided across junior and senior categories.

The day began with heats in the K1 Women Junior, K1 Men Junior and K1 Men Senior events. In each of these categories, the first six athletes from each heat qualified directly for the final, joined by the next eight fastest times across the heats.

In K1 Women Junior, Denmark’s Karen Andersen set the fastest time of the morning, winning Heat 2 ahead of Frida Hinge and Caoilin Caffrey, while 2025 European champion Lotti Jambor won Heat 1. In K1 Men Junior, Seppe Loomans and Martin Solvik led the two heats, with the field remaining extremely close before the afternoon final. The K1 Men Senior heats also gave an early indication of what was to come, as Denmark’s Mads Pedersen won Heat 1 ahead of José Ramalho and Adrian Martin, while Norway’s Jon Vold won Heat 2 ahead of Csanad Sellyei and James Russell.

The finals then brought the first major title decisions of the Championships, with several new European champions crowned and one successful title defence from the 2025 edition in Ponte de Lima.

Portugal celebrated the first junior canoe title of the day, as Gabriel Fernandes won the C1 Men Junior Short Race Final in 16:56.67. Hungary’s Hunor Haris took silver, while Spain’s Mateo Lago completed the podium. This event had no direct Short Race equivalent in the 2025 Championships, making Fernandes the first champion in this category within the current programme.

Ukraine followed with a strong one-two in the C1 Women Junior Short Race Final. Mariia Levkovska claimed the European title in 19:15.19, ahead of teammate Nikol Matnenko, while Great Britain’s Isabella Keane finished third. As with the men’s junior canoe event, there was no direct C1 Women Junior Short Race title in 2025, adding a new chapter to the junior canoe programme.

In K1 Women Junior, Denmark’s Karen Andersen confirmed her morning form and became the new European champion, winning the final in 16:26.12. Great Britain’s Dianora De Bilio took silver, while Ireland’s Caoilin Caffrey claimed bronze. The 2025 champion, Hungary’s Lotti Jambor, finished fourth this time, meaning the title changed hands in Romania.

Great Britain kept the K1 Men Junior Short Race title, but with a new name at the top. William Roeser won the 2026 final in 14:43.37, ahead of Spain’s Jaime Escuder and Portugal’s Nuno Barros. In 2025, the title had been won by William Short, also from Great Britain, meaning the nation successfully retained the crown even though a new athlete became European champion.

In the senior canoe events, Moldova’s Daniela Cociu produced one of the standout performances of the afternoon, winning the C1 Women Senior Short Race Final in 17:45.29. Great Britain’s Bethany Gill took silver, while Hungary’s Zsofia Kisban finished third. The 2025 title had belonged to Germany’s Annette Wehrmann, so Cociu becomes a new European champion in this event.

Spain’s Jaime Duro was the only athlete of the day to successfully defend a 2025 Short Race title. Despite receiving a 15-second penalty, Duro won the C1 Men Senior Short Race Final in 15:44.06, ahead of Portugal’s Rui Lacerda and Moldova’s Mihai Chihaia. After winning in Ponte de Lima last year, the Spanish canoeist once again proved to be the strongest in the senior men’s canoe short race.

The K1 Women Senior final also produced a new European champion. Norway’s Anna Sletsjøe, silver medallist in this event in 2025, went one step higher in Romania to win the title in 15:48.68. Hungary’s Panna Csepe finished second, only 2.63 seconds behind, while Spain’s Miriam Vega took bronze. The 2025 title had been won by Hungary’s Vanda Kiszli, meaning the women’s senior kayak short race also changed champion in 2026.

The day closed with one of the most anticipated races of the programme, the K1 Men Senior Short Race Final.

Denmark’s Mads Pedersen, who had already impressed in the morning heats, delivered a strong performance to take the European title in 13:49.07. Norway’s Jon Vold claimed silver, while Spain’s Adrian Martin completed the podium. With Portugal’s Fernando Pimenta having won the title in 2025 in Ponte de Lima, Pedersen becomes the new European champion in one of the most competitive events of the Championships.

Overall, the first day of Short Race finals showed a clear mix of continuity and change. Jaime Duro successfully defended his C1 Men Senior title, Great Britain retained the K1 Men Junior crown through William Roeser, and the remaining events produced new European champions. The junior canoe events also added a fresh element to the programme, with Portugal and Ukraine taking the first titles in the new Short Race format.

2026 Short Race European Champions

• C1 Men Junior: Gabriel Fernandes, Portugal

• C1 Women Junior: Mariia Levkovska, Ukraine

• K1 Women Junior: Karen Andersen, Denmark

• K1 Men Junior: William Roeser, Great Britain

• C1 Women Senior: Daniela Cociu, Moldova

• C1 Men Senior: Jaime Duro, Spain

• K1 Women Senior: Anna Sletsjøe, Norway

• K1 Men Senior: Mads Pedersen, Denmark

With eight titles decided on the opening day of racing, the 2026 Paddle Europe Marathon Championships are now fully underway in Romania, setting the stage for the long distance and crew boat races still to come.