Success for Scottish Athletes at ICF World Cup 2
26 May 2025

The women's K4 crew achieved a top-seven finish on their first international outing on day two of the ICF World Cup 2 in Poznan, Poland.

After a successful day one, the newly formed crew of Emily Lewis (Worcester) / Debs Kerr (Anker Valley) / Kristina Armstrong (Scottish Performance Squad) / Lucy Lee-Smith (Norwich) lined up in the K4 500m A Final for the first time.


It was a strong run performance from the quad as they powered to seventh place in 1:35.46, just two seconds off a podium place.


Delighted with their first international competition as a crew, Debs said:


“We had a really good race. It's a great place to start. We've been in the boat a handful of times and we've gelled well together and really quickly. The boat felt solid. I was focusing on our race. Emily set a good rhythm and the girls in the back kept us pushing.


Emily added: “We learnt from each race this week. We took this as an opportunity to race without pressure and enjoy it.


Kristina said: “It's my first K4 internationally. I've learnt a lot from this crew. Really enjoying being part of it and the final was definitely our best race so far.


Lucy concluded: “Debs and Emily have a lot of K4 experience, which has really paid off for me and Kristina. Every time we get in the boat, it feels better and better, and we've got something good we can build on here.”


On Saturday, Paralympic champions Laura Sugar and Charlotte Henshaw claimed golds on a day which saw four Brits win medals at ICF World Cup 2 in Poznan.


Sugar triumphed in the women's KL3 final, with Hope Gordon claiming bronze, while Henshaw eased to victory in the women's KL2. Stuart Wood started the medal rush with his bronze in the men's VL3.


Sugar, who won gold in both Tokyo and Paris, stopped the clock in 47.08, putting her just over half a second clear of Germany's Felicia Laberer. Gordon's time of 48.34 was enough for the final spot on the podium.


Sugar said: “It was really good, a lot better than the heat on Thursday. I love racing, it was a great race with lots of girls in the mix, and it's nice to come away with both of us on the podium.”


Gordon added: “Getting on any podium is always a big result for me, it's getting harder and harder to keep up with those girls. I haven't been back to full-time training for too long so it's an exciting way to start the season.”

On Sunday, it was gold for Hope Gordon in the women's VL3. Gordon delivered a gutsy race after a delay to the start and took the win in a time of 58.49, with Henshaw 0.77 seconds back in silver.


Gordon said: “There was a little bit of extra pressure with the mess-up at the start, just to add to the excitement.


“It was a good race, we both know we are not quite at our very best right now, but it is nice to know that with what we have done, we are still very much up there. It's exciting.”


It means both Gordon and Henshaw leave Poznan with two medals each after claiming bronze and gold respectively, on Saturday.


Read more on the Paddle UK News page.

SHARE YOUR STORY

If you have a story that would be of interest to the Paddle Scotland team please get in touch with us...

CONTACT US

Share Post

RECENT NEWS

A group of women are paddling kayaks in a race sponsored by infinity
17 July 2025
This past weekend saw a spectacular coming-together of the UK’s paddleboarding community as the Paddle UK Regatta joined forces with the GBSUP British Sprint Championships for a landmark event at Nottingham’s world-class venue. 
Three kayaks are sitting on the beach near the water.
14 July 2025
New course dates are now available for the BCAB Core Coach Training taking place online over the autumn and winter months.
A man is paddling a kayak through a river.
14 July 2025
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.” 
VIEW MORE