Canoeist Fernando Pimenta closed Portugal’s participation in the speed canoeing World Cup in Szeged, Hungary with a gold medal this Sunday, winning the K1 5,000 race.
Pimenta completed the race in 21.50.83 minutes, beating the second-placed Danish Thorbjorn Rask by ‘long’ by 21.68 seconds, and by 23.21 the Swedish Joakim Lindberg, third, in a direct final in which João Ribeiro ended up not participating.
The most decorated of the Portuguese canoeists left Szeged, as the protagonist of the national delegation, as he had already won silver in K2 500 mixed, alongside Teresa Portela, and bronze in K1 1,000.
Pimenta, three-time world champion and bronze medalist at the Tokyo2020 Olympic Games in K1 1,000, completed the final in 3.25.48 minutes, losing to the two hosts, the winner Balint Kopasz, who spent 3.24.19, and Adam Varga, second, in 3.25 .40.
Previously, the Benfica canoeist, already qualified for the Paris2024 Olympic Games, was second in the second semi-final, which he completed in 3.29.01 minutes.
In the same event, João Ribeiro was fifth in the third semi-final, in 3.33.04 minutes, which gave him a place in the B final, in which he was third, in 3.28.12.
In K1 200, Messias Batista, who in Paris2024 will be alongside João Ribeiro in K2 500, also won bronze, with 34.74 seconds, beaten by Lithuanian Ignas Navakauskas, winner, in 34.32, and Poland’s Jakub Stepun , second, at 34.58.
The ‘red’ canoeist also qualified for the final by winning the second semi-final, in 34.60 seconds.
Still in K1 200, Iago Bebiano was the winner of the B final, in 34.65 seconds, after having been fourth in the third semi-final, with 35.64, and missing the main final.
Also this Sunday, Teresa Portela was second in the B final of K1 500, with 1.49.21 minutes, after having been third in the first semi-final, in 1.52.63, while Beatriz Fernandes was seventh in the second semi-final of C1 200 , in 47.95 seconds.
On Saturday, João Ribeiro and Messias Baptista, in K2 500, and Fernando Pimenta and Teresa Portela, in mixed K2 500, had achieved silver medals, while Beatriz Fernandes and Inês Penetra took bronze in C2 200.
