France's team for the 2026 Canoe Sprint World Championships in Poznań: nine athletes, and a 20-year-old canoeist to watch
- Published
- 2026-08-17T17:54:54+00:00
- Author
- PaddleStats
Full competition results: ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships - Poznan
France will bring nine sprint canoeists to the 2026 ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships in Poznań (26–30 August), a compact team next to the 16 named by Portugal and the 29 fielded by hosts Poland. National technical director Julien Issoulié signed the selection in Vaires-sur-Marne on 28 July after the three World Cups and the European Championships: three men and four women in kayak, one man and one woman in canoe. No boats or distances were attached to the names — the federation's document lists athletes, clubs, a preparation camp in Vaires-sur-Marne from 10 to 20 August and the trip to Poland from 23 to 31 August. The most decorated of the nine is Manon Hostens, a Tokyo Olympic finalist; the youngest, and the one with the sharpest 2026 form line, is 20-year-old canoeist Chloé Nicot.
Overview: France's team for Poznań 2026
The FFCK selection is a list of people rather than a list of boats. Below are the nine names exactly as published, with clubs, and the events each of them has raced at senior international level in 2026 — which is the best available guide to what they will do on Lake Malta.
| Athlete | Club | Born | 2026 senior international events |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guillaume Keller | ASSSC Mulhouse-Riedisheim | 1998 | K1 500 m, K1 5000 m, K2 500 m, K4 500 m |
| Francis Mouget | OCK Auxerre | 1990 | K1 500 m, K2 500 m, K4 500 m |
| Quilian Koch | ASL CK Grand Arras | 1999 | K2 500 m, K4 500 m |
| Salya Lefoulon | AS Mantaise | 2001 | K4 500 m, K1 5000 m |
| Vanina Paoletti | ES Anjou CK | 1997 | K2 500 m, K4 500 m |
| Manon Hostens | ALP GNP Périgueux | 1994 | K2 500 m, K4 500 m, K1 5000 m |
| Pauline Freslon | ES Anjou CK | 1995 | K4 500 m, K1 5000 m |
| Loïc Léonard | ASL CK Grand Arras | 1996 | C1 1000 m, C1 5000 m |
| Chloé Nicot | AS Gérardmer CK | 2006 | C1 500 m, C1 200 m |
Two things frame this squad. First, it is built around crew boats: the women's K4 500 m has raced the same four names all season, and the men's kayak trio has been rotating through a K2 and a K4 with the reserves. Second, no French boat has finished higher than fifth in an A final at World Cup or European level in 2026 — the women's K4 in Szeged and Nicot's C1 500 m at the Europeans are the high-water marks. That is the context for a nine-athlete team.
Women's kayak: a four that has held together, and a double that has not yet clicked
The women's K4 500 m — Salya Lefoulon, Pauline Freslon, Hostens and Vanina Paoletti — is France's most consistent boat of the year. It opened at the Szeged World Cup with fifth place in the A final (1:32.29). At the European Championships in Montemor-o-Velho it was eighth (1:35.91). In Montreal it slipped to the B final and won it in 1:36.06. Three regattas, the same seat order each time, results between fifth and ninth overall — a crew that knows what it is but has not yet found the extra length that separates the top four.
The K2 500 m of Hostens and Paoletti is the pair with the longest history in the team and the hardest year. Fifth in the world championship final in Duisburg 2023 (1:42.43), fifth in the Paris 2024 B final (1:45.18), sixth at the 2025 World Cup on Lake Malta (1:47.50) — and in 2026 third in the Brandenburg B final (1:49.26), ninth at the Europeans (1:50.49) and seventh in Montreal (1:40.77). Hostens, born in 1994, is the team's Olympic reference point: seventh in the Tokyo K2 500 m final with Sarah Guyot (1:40.33), and B-final winner in the Tokyo K4 alongside Paoletti. She has also been doing the long-distance work this year, ninth in the K1 5000 m in Brandenburg (26:04.01).
Freslon is the distance specialist of the group. She was fourth in the K1 5000 m at the 2025 World Cup on Lake Malta (23:54.45), eighth over 5000 m at the 2024 Worlds in Samarkand (28:21.02) and seventh in the K1 1000 m at the 2025 Europeans (4:01.89). Lefoulon, born in 2001, is the youngest kayaker in the team and raced the K1 5000 m at the Europeans in June (twelfth, 24:32.46) alongside her K4 seat.
Men's kayak and canoe: three kayakers, one canoeist and a lot of B finals
Francis Mouget, born in 1990, Quilian Koch and Guillaume Keller have been the core of the French men's kayak programme for three seasons. In 2026 the results have stayed just under the A-final line. Mouget won the K1 500 m B final in Szeged (1:38.01) — winning B finals is a habit: at the Worlds in Halifax 2022 (1:50.76) and Duisburg 2023 (1:40.04) he finished tenth in the world in the same event the same way. Koch and Mouget were third in the K2 500 m B final in Brandenburg (1:37.60) and fourth in the Montreal B final (1:31.13). Keller was second in the K1 500 m B final in Montreal (1:41.50) and fourth in Brandenburg (1:44.44). The K4 500 m — Koch, Mouget, Keller and Maxence Barouh at the Europeans — was sixth in the B final (1:22.00), and sixth in the Brandenburg B final with Noé Martin in the boat (1:23.15). Barouh and Martin are not on the Poznań list; both go to the Mediterranean Games in Taranto instead.
The men's group has better memories of Poznań than of most courses. Koch was in the French K4 500 m that took bronze at the 2022 World Cup on Lake Malta (1:20.69, with Le Floch-Decorchemont, Beaumont and Burger), and he raced the K2 500 m to fifth in the world championship final in Duisburg 2023 with Burger (1:31.02). At the 2025 World Cup on the same water Koch and Mouget were sixth in the K2 500 m A final (1:32.15), and the K4 with Keller was ninth (1:23.85). Keller has also been on the 5000 m: sixth at the Europeans in June in 21:33.11, in the race Fernando Pimenta won.
The single canoeist on the men's side, Loïc Léonard, is the one Frenchman in the team who has been within touching distance of a world championship medal. He and Adrien Bart were fourth in the C2 500 m final in Duisburg 2023 (1:38.59), and second in the Paris B final (1:43.82); on his own, Léonard won C1 500 m bronze at the 2023 World Cup in Szeged (1:54.29). Bart is not on the list, and Léonard's 2026 has been about distance: sixth in the C1 5000 m in Brandenburg (25:50.23), seventh over 5000 m at the Europeans (24:43.72), sixth in the C1 1000 m B final in Montreal.
Chloé Nicot. The story of this selection is a canoeist born in 2006. Nicot has been in the senior C1 500 m A final at every regatta of 2026: sixth in Szeged (2:02.93), eighth in Brandenburg (2:17.21), fifth at the Europeans (2:05.39), seventh in Montreal (2:16.45). The pattern is legible: fifth and sixth where she paddled 2:02–2:05, seventh and eighth where her own times were a dozen seconds slower. In between she went to the Junior and U23 Worlds in Halifax and took U23 silver in the C1 500 m (2:23.38) plus fifth in the C1 200 m, then bronze in the C1 500 m at the Junior and U23 Europeans in Szeged (2:24.79). Four senior A finals and two U23 medals in one summer, at 20 — the FFCK is sending her to Poznań with more upside than anyone else in the group.
What's next: nine athletes, one A-final boat, and a course France knows
The championships run from Wednesday 26 August to Sunday 30 August. France's most likely A-final boats on 2026 form are the women's K4 500 m (fifth in Szeged) and Nicot's C1 500 m (fifth at the Europeans). The men's K2 500 m of Koch and Mouget was in the A final on this water a year ago; repeating that would be the target. Everything else — the K1 5000 m starts of Keller, Freslon and Hostens, Léonard's C1 distances — is about points and placings rather than podiums.
France also has half its senior group in Italy at the same time: the Mediterranean Games in Taranto (18–24 August) take Barouh, Le Petit, Martin, Laroche, Bonnavaud, Loulia Lefoulon, Maillet and Cornez, which explains part of why the Poznań team is as compact as it is. The French list joins the squads already announced by Hungary, Italy and Denmark; the schedule and favourites are in the guide to the 2026 Worlds in Poznań.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is in France's team for the 2026 canoe sprint World Championships in Poznań?
Nine athletes selected by the FFCK on 28 July 2026: kayak men Guillaume Keller, Francis Mouget and Quilian Koch; kayak women Salya Lefoulon, Vanina Paoletti, Manon Hostens and Pauline Freslon; canoe men Loïc Léonard; canoe women Chloé Nicot.
Which events will the French team race in Poznań?
The FFCK selection lists names only, not events. In 2026 the women's four (Lefoulon/Freslon/Hostens/Paoletti) has raced the K4 500 m at every regatta, Hostens/Paoletti the K2 500 m, the men the K2 500 m and K4 500 m, Léonard the C1 1000 m and 5000 m, and Nicot the C1 500 m and 200 m.
When are the 2026 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Poznań?
From Wednesday 26 August to Sunday 30 August 2026 on the Lake Malta regatta course. Nominal entries closed on 16 August. Poznań hosts the Worlds for the fourth time, after 1990, 2001 and 2010.
Who is Chloé Nicot?
A French canoeist born in 2006, from AS Gérardmer CK. In 2026 she made the senior C1 500 m A final at all four major regattas (best: fifth at the Europeans, 2:05.39; fastest: 2:02.93 in Szeged), won U23 world silver in the C1 500 m in Halifax (2:23.38) and U23 European bronze in Szeged (2:24.79).
Is France's women's K4 500 m a medal contender in Poznań 2026?
On the season's numbers, no — the four was fifth in Szeged (1:32.29), eighth at the Europeans (1:35.91) and won the B final in Montreal (1:36.06). An A final would match its best result of the year; a medal would require a step it has not shown yet.
Why is France sending only nine athletes to Poznań?
The FFCK based the selection on performances across the three World Cups and the Europeans, and eight further sprint canoeists — including K4 reserves Maxence Barouh and Noé Martin — were sent to the Mediterranean Games in Taranto (18–24 August), which overlap with the Poznań preparation camp.
Does France's men's K2 500 m have a realistic chance of the A final?
Koch and Mouget were sixth in the A final on Lake Malta at the 2025 World Cup (1:32.15), and Koch was fifth in the 2023 world championship final with Guillaume Burger (1:31.02). In 2026 the pair has been in the B final in Brandenburg (third) and Montreal (fourth); the A final on the same water they reached a year ago is a fair target, not a certainty.
Has France won a medal at a World Cup in Poznań before?
Yes. Quilian Koch was in the men's K4 500 m that took bronze at the 2022 World Cup on Lake Malta in 1:20.69, with Guillaume Le Floch-Decorchemont, Maxime Beaumont and Guillaume Burger.
Nine athletes, one A-final boat by the numbers, and a 20-year-old canoeist who has spent the whole summer in senior A finals. Chloé Nicot is the name to watch when the C1 500 m heats start on Lake Malta; the rest of the World Championships in Poznań will tell whether France's four and the Koch/Mouget double can turn a season of near-misses into finals.
Sources: FFCK, "Sélections nominatives Championnat du Monde Sprint" (28 July 2026); ICF (entry deadlines); ICF and ECA results 2022–2026.