Canoe Freestyle World Cup Kraków 2026 results: Robinson-Shaw and Dolle win twice, Kawczyńska takes junior gold
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- 2026-09-28T09:50:37+00:00
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- PaddleStats
Ottilie Robinson-Shaw and Tom Dolle won two titles each at the 2026 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Cup in Kraków, while Poland's Maja Kawczyńska took junior women's K1 gold in front of a home crowd. The competition ran from 25 to 27 September on the Kolna course. It was the first canoe freestyle World Cup ever staged in Poland, and the second and final event of the 2026 series.
Kraków 2026 Canoe Freestyle World Cup results: Germany top the medal table
Seven titles were decided in Kraków. Only three men started the open canoe (OC1) and only two were classified, so no bronze was awarded. That left 20 medals in total – seven gold, seven silver and six bronze – shared among athletes from eight nations.
| Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Great Britain | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| France | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Poland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Austria | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Ireland | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Spain | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| United States | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Germany top the table on silvers, having matched Great Britain and France with two golds each. Britain won the most medals overall, with five.
The start list featured 80 athletes from 13 nations. Germany brought the largest team (19), ahead of Great Britain (12) and Ireland (11), while Poland fielded eight athletes on home water. Men's K1 was the biggest event, with 31 entries and 30 starters.
Kraków 2026: every final podium
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's K1 | Tom Dolle (FRA) 1746.67 | Harry Price (GBR) 1646.67 | David McClure (IRL) 1541.67 |
| Women's K1 | Ottilie Robinson-Shaw (GBR) 983.33 | Jasmin Stangl-Brachnik (AUT) 796.67 | Zofia Tuła (POL) 795.00 |
| Men's C1 | Tom Dolle (FRA) 1160.00 | Sebastian Nelle (GER) 926.67 | Harry Price (GBR) 806.67 |
| Women's C1 | Ottilie Robinson-Shaw (GBR) 843.33 | Lucia Hacker (GER) 416.67 | Jasmin Stangl-Brachnik (AUT) 403.33 |
| Men's OC1 | Sebastian Nelle (GER) 170.00 | Eoghan Kelly (IRL) 110.00 | — |
| Junior men's K1 | Lukas Ramsayer (GER) 1343.33 | Marc Silva Fores (ESP) 1200.00 | Arthur Genovese (FRA) 1110.00 |
| Junior women's K1 | Maja Kawczyńska (POL) 586.67 | Mary Claire Hargrove (USA) 433.33 | Sophie Macken (GBR) 390.00 |
How scoring changes from round to round
Each ride is a sequence of tricks on the wave, scored by the judges. In Kraków, each round was scored differently, which is why preliminary and semi-final totals are far higher than final scores.
- Preliminaries: two rides, with both scores added together. Only men's and women's K1 needed preliminaries.
- Semi-finals: three rides, with the best two added together. Where there was more than one semi-final group, the five best totals went through to the final, regardless of group. Every junior men's K1 finalist came from the third group, so the winners of the first two, Switzerland's Pirmin Kahlau and France's Manyh Hammacha, went out.
- Final: three rides, and only the best one counts.
That last rule shapes every final: a bad ride costs nothing as long as the next one lands. Eleven of the 20 medals in Kraków were won with a first-ride score that the athlete did not improve on.
Scores also do not compare cleanly between venues. Each competition is held on a single wave, and the wave dictates which moves are possible. A higher score in Millau does not necessarily mean better form, so the comparisons below use placings and margins within each event.
Poland: gold for Kawczyńska, bronze for Tuła and two fourth places
Kawczyńska turns the tables on Hargrove
In June, Maja Kawczyńska lost the junior women's K1 final in Millau to American Mary Claire Hargrove, 450.00 to 350.00. In Kraków the order was reversed: Kawczyńska won on 586.67, 153.34 points clear of Hargrove on 433.33.
Her second ride settled it. She opened with 330.00, scored 586.67 on her second attempt and 433.33 on her third – exactly Hargrove's best of the day.
Kawczyńska, born in 2009, reached the final with the second-best semi-final total (603.34), behind Britain's Sophie Macken (1030.00). Macken scored 390.00 in the final and took bronze. Kawczyńska ends the season with silver from Millau and gold from Kraków.
The junior women's field was small – just nine athletes – and four of them made the final at both World Cups: Kawczyńska, Hargrove, Germany's Marie Dimke and France's Anaelle Gabard. Poland's second junior, Katarzyna Popielak, born in 2010, finished seventh in the semi-finals on 220.00.
Tuła misses silver by 1.67 points
Zofia Tuła won Poland's second medal, bronze in women's K1, and finished just 1.67 points short of silver. Robinson-Shaw won with 983.33. Austria's Jasmin Stangl-Brachnik posted 796.67 on her first ride, and it held up for silver. Tuła improved with every ride: 648.33, then 755.00, then 795.00.
She was also fourth in women's C1 (the decked canoe) on 370.00, 33.33 points behind Stangl-Brachnik in bronze. In Millau, Tuła had reached the podium in both events, with silver in C1 and bronze in K1, so she leaves the 2026 World Cup with three medals.
Agata Sobieraj Jakubiec, fourth in the women's K1 final in Millau, missed out on the Kraków final. Her semi-final total of 913.34 (best two rides) ranked seventh.
Czauderna fourth at home, Czaplicki out in the semi-finals
Kraków native Bartosz Czauderna, who paddles for Krakowski Klub Kajakowy, finished fourth in men's K1 on 1493.33, 48.34 points off bronze. A first ride of 110.00 left him with plenty to do, as every other finalist had at least 950.00 after the first round. His second ride of 1493.33 proved his best; his third scored 1326.67. Ireland's David McClure had already secured bronze with his opening 1541.67.
Tomasz Czaplicki arrived as European champion from Lieksa and as a bronze medallist from Millau. He won his preliminary group with 2573.33, the second-best total among the 30 starters behind McClure (2596.66). In the semi-finals, however, he managed only 2363.34. The five best totals across both semi-final groups went through, and Britain's Ben Higson claimed the last spot with 2556.66. Czaplicki finished sixth, 193.32 points behind him.
Robinson-Shaw unbeaten, Price on every podium without a win
Ottilie Robinson-Shaw finished the 2026 World Cup season unbeaten, winning every final she entered: K1, C1 and squirt in Millau, then K1 and C1 in Kraków.
The women's C1 final was the most one-sided of the weekend. Robinson-Shaw scored 843.33 on her first ride, more than double the 416.67 of runner-up Lucia Hacker of Germany. The gap in women's K1 was smaller but still decisive: 983.33 to Stangl-Brachnik's 796.67, a margin of 186.66.
Tom Dolle repeated his Millau win in men's C1, scoring 1160.00 to beat Germany's Sebastian Nelle by 233.33. In men's K1 he did the damage with his first ride, 1746.67. No other finalist broke 1700 on any ride.
Harry Price reached the podium in all four finals he contested this season, but did not win any of them. He was second in both K1 and C1 in Millau, then second in K1 and third in C1 in Kraków. His best K1 ride in Kraków, 1646.67 on his third attempt, left him 100.00 points short of Dolle.
McClure was the standout in the earlier rounds of men's K1, posting the best preliminary total (2596.66) and the best semi-final total (3063.34) before taking bronze.
Sebastian Nelle also left Kraków with two medals, winning men's OC1 on 170.00 and taking silver in men's C1. The open canoe final had only three starters: Nelle, Ireland's Eoghan Kelly and fellow German Jonas Unterberg, who did not score.
In junior men's K1, Lukas Ramsayer followed up the best semi-final total (2603.34) with a first ride of 1343.33 in the final. Spain's Marc Silva Fores finished 143.33 points behind, and France's Arthur Genovese 233.33 behind.
Only Robinson-Shaw and Dolle repeated their Millau wins
Robinson-Shaw won both women's events again and Dolle retained men's C1. Every other event held at both venues had a new winner.
- Men's K1: Millau winner Ben Higson finished fifth in Kraków on 1360.00.
- Junior men's K1: Germany's Lukas Ramsayer, third in Millau, took the title. Millau winner Jake Bermingham of Ireland was fourth, and Marc Silva Fores was second at both events.
- Junior women's K1: Kawczyńska and Hargrove swapped places.
There was movement further down the order, too. In women's C1, Tuła dropped from second in Millau to fourth in Kraków, while Hacker climbed from fourth to second. In women's K1, Tuła took bronze at both events.
Season review: six World Cup medals for Poland
Kraków closed a two-event 2026 World Cup series that opened in Millau in June. The Kraków competition had originally been scheduled for June before being moved to September.
Poland finish the season with six World Cup medals: four in Millau (Tuła's C1 silver and K1 bronze, Kawczyńska's junior K1 silver and Czaplicki's K1 bronze) and two in Kraków.
Zbigniew Miązek, president of host club Krakowski Klub Kajakowy, said he hoped the World Cup would return to Kraków in the years ahead.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the 2026 Canoe Freestyle World Cup in Kraków?
Seven events were held. Ottilie Robinson-Shaw (Great Britain) won women's K1 and C1, and Tom Dolle (France) won men's K1 and C1. Sebastian Nelle (Germany) took men's OC1, Lukas Ramsayer (Germany) junior men's K1 and Maja Kawczyńska (Poland) junior women's K1.
Which nation topped the medal table in Kraków?
Germany, with two golds and two silvers. Great Britain also won two golds but only one silver, although the British won the most medals overall, with five.
Where was the Kraków World Cup held?
On the Kolna course in Kraków, where Poland's slalom paddlers train and where the country's most important national slalom events are held. The venue also hosted the Polish freestyle championships the weekend before. It was the first canoe freestyle World Cup held in Poland.
What score won the men's K1 final?
Tom Dolle's first ride of 1746.67. Harry Price was second on 1646.67 and David McClure third on 1541.67.
How many medals did Poland win in Kraków?
Two: Maja Kawczyńska's gold in junior women's K1 (586.67) and Zofia Tuła's bronze in women's K1 (795.00). Tuła and Bartosz Czauderna also finished fourth, in women's C1 and men's K1 respectively.
Is Ottilie Robinson-Shaw unbeaten this season?
In the World Cup, yes. She won all five finals she entered across Millau and Kraków: K1, C1 and squirt in France, and K1 and C1 in Poland.
Did Kawczyńska also beat Hargrove in Millau?
No. Hargrove won the junior women's K1 final in Millau 450.00 to 350.00. Kawczyńska reversed the result in Kraków, winning by 153.34 points.
Did Tomasz Czaplicki reach the men's K1 final?
No. He posted the second-best preliminary total (2573.33), but his semi-final total of 2363.34 ranked sixth across both groups. Only the top five reached the final, and Ben Higson took the last spot with 2556.66.
Robinson-Shaw's perfect season and Dolle's C1 repeat defined the finale in Kraków, while Maja Kawczyńska gave the home crowd a World Cup gold. Full results are on the Kraków World Cup event page.
Results source: official ICF (Paddle Worldwide) results service for the Kraków and Millau World Cups.