South American Canoe Sprint Championships 2026: Quillón preview
- Published
- 2026-11-05T19:09:40+00:00
- Author
- PaddleStats
Full competition results: South American Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe Championships 2026
The 2026 South American Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe Championships begin on Friday in Quillón, Chile, with 148 finals on the three-day programme and 638 boat entries on the latest start lists. Argentina, which won 50 canoe sprint golds two years ago, has entered just two senior crews outside paracanoe, both in the mixed K2.
Quillón 2026: dates, venue and entries
The 2026 South American Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe Championships take place from 6 to 8 November on Laguna Avendaño in Quillón, in Chile’s Ñuble region. Racing is scheduled to begin at 09:00 local time on Friday (UTC−3). There are no heats: every race on the programme is listed as a final A.
In a statement published on 3 November, the organisers announced 249 athletes from ten countries, including 96 women and 18 paracanoe competitors. They put the average age of the field at 17. The event will be based at the Cendyr Náutico beside the municipal beach, with free admission for spectators and a Fan Fest alongside the racing.
| Country | Athletes announced by organisers on 3 November | Boat entries on the 5 November start lists |
|---|---|---|
| Chile | 109 | 242 |
| Argentina | 50 | 115 |
| Brazil | 26 | 66 |
| Uruguay | 17 | 58 |
| Ecuador | 13 | 43 |
| Guatemala | 5 | 41 |
| Peru | 9 | 27 |
| Venezuela | 12 | 24 |
| Bolivia | 4 | 14 |
| Paraguay | 4 | 8 |
Boat entries are counted separately for each event, so these figures do not represent distinct boats or athletes. That explains Guatemala’s 41 entries: Kely Bolvito, for example, is listed in the junior, U23 and senior women’s K1 over all three distances. Athlete totals come from the organisers’ announcement; boat entries come from a later version of the start lists. Both remain subject to change before racing begins.
Brazil’s Olympic champion Isaquias Queiroz is absent from the lists, as are four gold medallists from September’s South American Games in Santa Fe: Argentina’s Agustín Vernice, Uruguay’s Matías Otero, Brazil’s Filipe Vieira and Chile’s María José Mailliard.
The programme: from 1000 m to 200 m
Friday is devoted mainly to 1000 m racing, followed by 500 m on Saturday and 200 m on Sunday. The opening day has 41 races over 1000 m and three over 2000 m. Saturday’s programme contains 50 races over 500 m and four over 2000 m, while Sunday has 50 over 200 m. The 2000 m events are reserved for the youngest age group, menores, for paddlers born between 2012 and 2014.
The programme spans six age groups. There are 39 senior races, including nine paracanoe slots, alongside 30 each for juniors and masters, 20 for cadets, 15 for U23s and 14 for menores. These are scheduled totals: not every race currently has an entry on the latest start lists.
The biggest fields have ten boats: the cadet women’s K1 1000 m, junior women’s K1 500 m and 200 m, junior men’s K1 200 m, and the Open mixed K2 200 m, which is due to close the championships at 15:20 on Sunday.
Selected senior finals, with all times local:
| Day | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Friday | 11:50 | Men’s C1 1000 m |
| Friday | 12:10 | Men’s K1 1000 m |
| Friday | 12:20 | Women’s K1 1000 m |
| Saturday | 11:40 | Men’s C1 500 m |
| Saturday | 11:56 | Men’s K1 500 m |
| Saturday | 12:04 | Women’s K1 500 m |
| Saturday | 15:42 | Women’s C1 500 m |
| Sunday | 09:00 | Men’s C1 200 m |
| Sunday | 09:10 | Men’s K1 200 m |
| Sunday | 09:15 | Women’s K1 200 m |
| Sunday | 11:40 | Women’s C1 200 m |
Argentina’s senior presence is limited
Argentina ranks second only to Chile in boat entries, but most of its 115 crews are in the younger age groups or masters. Its only two senior entries outside paracanoe are in the Open mixed K2 200 m. Across that section of the programme, which has 121 entries, Chile accounts for 52, Ecuador 19, Brazil 17, Uruguay 15 and Guatemala 12.
The hosts’ men’s K1 entries include Julián Cartes and Marcelo Godoy, a K4 500 m bronze medallist in Santa Fe. Their opponents include Brazil’s Marcus Paulo Zamin and Uruguay’s Lucas Lenci, Matías Maccio and Marcos Píriz. The Uruguayan trio also joins Tadeo Arca in the K4 over all three distances.
The men’s C1 reunites several rivals from Santa Fe. Chile’s Joaquín Lagos finished fourth over 500 m in 1:43.67, with Ecuador’s Cristhian Sola fifth, 1.08 seconds behind him. Sola also finished fourth in the C2 500 m with Alan Sola, clocking 1:38.84. Brazil’s Milton Luz de Oliveira is also entered in Quillón after taking C2 500 m bronze at September’s national championships, in a final won by Isaquias Queiroz and Gabriel Nascimento.
The women’s K1 field includes Chile’s Goviana Reyes, who won the women’s 35–39 masters marathon world title in October, her compatriot Maira Toro and Ecuador’s Stefanie Vinces. Vinces finished fifth over 500 m in Santa Fe and took K2 500 m bronze with Liliana Solano.
The women’s C1 will be without Mailliard, who won the 500 m in September in 1:58.16. Ecuador’s Neida Lerma, third over 200 m and fourth over 500 m in Santa Fe, will face opponents including Chile’s Sley Figueroa and Valentina Cornejo.
Youth, paracanoe and masters
Santa Fe medallists and an Olympic Hopes rematch
Sebastián Alveal is among the names to watch in the U23 events after winning three bronze medals in Santa Fe. His K1 1000 m opponents include Argentina’s Pedro Gattinoni and Brazil’s Herick Lopes, with Máximo Camporrotondo also entered over 500 m.
Uruguay’s Emilia Milich brings a senior South American Games bronze medal to the junior women’s K1 500 m field. Also entered is Chile’s Fernanda Sepúlveda, who won the K1 at the national trials in Quillón on 10 October. After those trials, she spoke of racing on her home lagoon, where she first learned to paddle.
The junior men’s C1 includes Venezuela’s Reinaldo Arguello, born in 2008 and a senior C1 500 m bronze medallist in Santa Fe. He will face Chile’s Gaspar Díaz, fifth in the junior C1 at the Canoe Marathon World Championships in Gualeguaychú, and Argentina’s Bruno Benigno.
The cadet events offer a rematch from Olympic Hopes. Brazil’s Victor Hugo Lopes took bronze in the boys’ under-16 K1 500 m in Bratislava in 1:45.41. Argentina’s Joaquín Szyferman finished fourth, just 0.48 seconds behind him. Their race in Quillón is scheduled for 14:22 on Saturday.
Paracanoe takes place on Sunday
All paracanoe racing is scheduled for Sunday over 200 m. Chile and Brazil each have eight athletes, with one apiece from Argentina and Venezuela. The timetable contains nine events, although the latest women’s KL2 start list is empty; the other eight have entries.
Chile’s Franco Gutiérrez, fifth at this year’s World Championships in Poznań, is entered in the men’s KL2 at 10:00. He will face Brazil’s Sidimar Leal and Luciano Lima.
The largest field is the women’s KL3 at 12:20, with five paddlers on the latest list. Argentina’s Mariel Graziani, the marathon world silver medallist in that class in October, will face Chile’s Francisca Castro and Brazil’s Mikaella de Souza Gomes, Marisa Ferreira and Jane Cleide da Silva. Local paddler Marcelo González is entered in the men’s KL3 after finishing second at the national trials.
Masters return after the marathon worlds
The masters programme contains 30 races, with Chile providing 40 entries and Argentina 20. Several paddlers competed at the Masters Canoe Marathon World Championships in Gualeguaychú on 19 and 20 October. Argentina’s Mariana Arzuaga finished fifth in the women’s K1 50–54, Chile’s Felipe Flores was fifth in the men’s C1 35–39, and Argentina’s Adolfo Prytulak placed sixth in the men’s K2 50–54.
From Montevideo and Asunción to Quillón
The December 2021 championships took place on Lake Calcagno in Ciudad de la Costa, near Montevideo, with paddlers from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Venezuela and Uruguay. Argentina sent 115 athletes across the age groups, from menores to masters.
The Montevideo area hosted again from 13 to 16 November 2024, alongside the Pan American Championships. The leading nations in the South American canoe sprint medal table, excluding paracanoe, were:
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 50 | 14 | 1 | 65 |
| Brazil | 9 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| Ecuador | 6 | 16 | 5 | 27 |
Asunción hosted the 2025 edition. Argentina’s Magdalena Garro won gold in events including the K2 500 m and K4 500 m, while Chile’s Valentina Guerrero collected four silvers. Guerrero, who represents Changos de Huasco, is also entered in Quillón.
A Brazilian club’s fundraising effort
For some paddlers, getting to Chile has been a challenge in itself. Aleca, the club from São Leopoldo, launched a fundraising campaign to help four of its athletes make the trip: Andrei Rigoti, Herick Lopes, Luana Taborda and Emily Izaguirre. In September, club coordinator Daniela Maioli estimated that taking the athletes and support staff to the championships would cost around 40,000 reais. The club was still appealing for support in October.
Lopes faces a busy three days: he is entered in 11 races, including the U23 K1 over all three distances.
What comes after Quillón?
The Chilean season continues with the Chilean Canoe Sprint and Associated Classes Championships in San Pedro de la Paz on 12–13 December, five weeks after Quillón. The programme, start lists and published results from Laguna Avendaño can be found on the championship page.
Frequently asked questions
When and where are the championships?
The championships take place from 6 to 8 November 2026 on Laguna Avendaño in Quillón, Chile. Racing is scheduled to start at 09:00 local time (UTC−3) each day.
How many athletes are expected?
The organisers announced 249 athletes from ten countries on 3 November, including 18 paracanoe competitors. Chile had the largest announced team with 109 athletes, followed by Argentina with 50 and Brazil with 26. Earlier previews referred to around 400 participants, but the newer announcement gives a lower figure.
Is Isaquias Queiroz racing?
His name does not appear on the current start lists. Brazil’s senior C1 entries are Milton Luz de Oliveira over 500 m and 1000 m, and Dalvan Luz de Oliveira over 200 m.
Has Argentina entered senior crews?
Yes, but outside paracanoe its only two entries are in the Open mixed K2 200 m. Argentina has 115 boat entries on the latest lists, with the rest in younger age groups, masters and one paracanoe event.
What distances are on the programme?
The main distances are 1000 m on Friday, 500 m on Saturday and 200 m on Sunday. The youngest age group also has 2000 m races on Friday and Saturday. All paracanoe events are over 200 m.
Who topped the medal table in 2024?
Argentina led the canoe sprint standings with 50 golds, 14 silvers and one bronze. Brazil followed with nine golds and one bronze, ahead of Ecuador with six golds, 16 silvers and five bronzes. Paracanoe had a separate medal table.
Which team could win the most medals in Quillón?
Chile has the most entries: 242 of the 638 on the latest start lists, including 52 of the 121 senior entries outside paracanoe. Numbers alone do not determine results, however. Argentina, for example, has 18 U23 entries despite its limited senior presence.
Sebastián Alveal is due on the water at 09:40 on Friday for the U23 K1 1000 m. With no heats on the programme, the championship opens straight into the finals.