Czech and Japanese teams excelled on the Vrbas River during the second day of the World Rafting Championship. In the final of the H2H discipline, two Czech teams faced off, with the first Czech Republic team taking the gold.
“Our team prefers slalom, so we can’t wait for it. We are not fans of the H2H discipline. Our victory is very surprising for us because the second team was very good in the race, but we are very happy and can’t wait for the slalom,” said Filip Jelinek, captain of the first Czech team.
The Brazilian team took third place, narrowly missing the final race due to a punctured raft.
Among the women, the Japanese teams were the most successful. They won gold medals in both the senior and under-23 categories, confirming the dominance of Japanese women’s teams.
“We have been preparing diligently for the past two weeks, so we entered the race determined to give our best. Our effort paid off,” said Misaki Niki, captain of the Japanese women’s senior team.
“I am very happy about the first place in the H2H discipline. I am grateful to everyone for their support. The waves in the river are very big and different from those in Japan. We were nervous but very happy to have overcome this race and are ready for the slalom,” said Mizuki Kondo, captain of the under-23 team.
In the women’s category, New Zealand took second place, and the United States finished third. The Japanese also won the gold medal in the men’s under-23 category.
The home teams did not win any medals today, as the team from Banja Luka’s “Dajak Club,” representing Bosnia and Herzegovina in the senior category, was eliminated in the qualifiers by the German team. The SRK “Bosna” team from Zenica also concluded its participation in the qualifiers.
Finally, let’s remember that the championship continues tomorrow at 11 a.m. with the slalom races.
Source: Banjaluka.net
