Jakub Stepun
- Country
- Poland
- Club
- KS AZS-AWF Poznań
- National team
- Poland Canoe Sprint
- Born
- 2001
Jakub Stepun is the sharpest sprint specialist of Poland's new kayaking generation. Born on 30 August 2001 in Trzcianka and racing for AZS-AWF Poznań, he built his reputation over the shortest distances — the K1 200 m above all — and already owns senior world championship silver in that event, won in Samarkand in 2024. He arrived through the under-23 ranks at speed: world and European U23 titles in the K1 200 m in 2021, followed by further U23 world golds in crew boats in 2022. His senior breakthrough came in 2024, when he took three silver medals at the European Championships in Szeged — K1 200 m, K2 200 m and K4 500 m — before adding European bronze in the K4 500 m in Račice in 2025. That same summer of 2024 brought his Olympic debut in Paris. Paired with Przemysław Korsak in the K2 500 m, he won his heat outright before the crew bowed out in the semifinal. At home he has been the man to beat: he [dominated the 88th Polish championships in 2025](/news/88th-polish-canoe-sprint-championships-2025-stepun-dominates), a regatta where [he and Anna Puławska headlined the racing](/news/jakub-stepun-and-anna-pulawska-shine-at-the-88th-polish-national-canoe-sprint-championships-2025). In 2026 he has logged 22 races and three golds across domestic and international starts. He was [named to Poland's squad](/news/poland-2026-european-canoe-sprint-championships-squad-en) for the European Championships in Montemor-o-Velho and featured from [day one of the racing](/news/european-canoe-sprint-championships-2026-day-1-results-en). Next in the season calendar: the World Championships in Poznań (26–30 August), with world-ranking points shaping the road to Los Angeles 2028.