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.”