Sam Leaver was over-the-moon to be crowned the inaugural U23 men’s kayak cross time trial world champion on the penultimate day of competition in Foix.
Leaver put together a storming run of 50.62 seconds on a day that also saw Arina Kontchakov clinch silver in the women’s junior time trial.
Leaver was the last to go on the water, with the single run determining the individual medallists in the time trial, as well as confirming qualification for the head-to-head kayak cross event, which takes place on the final day of competition.
And in the first year that the time trial has been a separate medal event, Lever laid down an incredible run to take the title.
Matyas Novak and Jakub Krejci of Czechia took silver and bronze respectively.
“It’s the first year the time trial has been in and I won it so I’m pretty happy,” Leaver said.
“I assumed the Czechs would be fast as they are some of the same people that competed in Pau in the senior races, so I just knew I had to send it.
“It was going to be an absolute sprint so I’m really happy it worked out.”
Lever has now added U23 time trial world gold to the silver he won at the Canoe Slalom World Cup in Pau in June.
And with the head-to-head racing still to come, he noted his pride in a speedy final stage of the race to set him up perfectly for tomorrow.
“I feel like the bottom section was pretty rapid, I think I won it on the second up,” he added.
“The exit and sprint to the finish was perfect for me.
“It’s set me up perfectly for the head-to-head, I’m really happy with that result.”
Lois Leaver rounded out the Junior & U23 Canoe Slalom World Championships with silver in the women's U23 kayak cross.
The Scottish paddler flew through the rounds in Foix to take the only British medal of the day after Olwen Yates just missed out in the women's junior kayak cross final.
Sam Leaver and Gwion Williams also reached the semi-finals in the men's U23 and junior categories, respectively.
In the women's U23 heats, Leaver stormed out into the lead early and was never overtaken to make it through to the quarter-finals.
Earlier, Macy Kang had kept pace well, but a final charge was just too late to overtake Marcella Altmann of the USA on the line as she did not progress.
Just as she did in the heats, Leaver cruised through into the final eight but had a much tougher time in the semi-finals.
The Edinburgh Schools athlete had to battle to the line to secure her spot, but her pace saw her take top spot.
With medals on the line in the final, Leaver chose tactics over speed as she followed leader Evy Leibfarth into the first upstream gate, but the gamble did not pay off as she was left in last place.
However, Leaver was given clear water for the second upstream as she paddled through to initially finish third before she was upgraded to silver after a fault for Leibfarth.
“It feels really cool, it is always tough in kayak cross, you never know how it is going to go, so I am really pleased with the outcome,” Leaver said.
“I feel like right off the get go, I knew that I was going to chase her [Evy Leibfarth], that was my plan, so I just tried to hit her hard, and then you kind of have to just see what happens.
“I'm excited to have a bit of a rest now, I'm staying with my parents in a campervan and I'll probably end up going canoeing, but I won't race for a little bit and will have some time at home before hitting the back end of the season."
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