European Championships: Next European title for canoe duo Brendel/Hecker

Exceptional canoeist Sebastian Brendel celebrated the next success at the European Championships in Munich together with his partner Tim Hecker.

Just twelve days after triumphing at the World Championships in Dartmouth, Canada, the duo from Potsdam and Berlin also won the Olympic 1000 meter distance in the two-man canoe on the Olympic Canal in Oberschleißheim. Brendel, 34, and his partner, ten years his junior, who won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, relegated Italy and Hungary to second and third.

On the first final day of the European Championships, the crews of the German Canoe Association (DKV) also won two more gold medals in non-Olympic boat classes. In the first final, Tobias Schultz (Essen), Tom Liebscher (Dresden), Martin Hiller (Potsdam) and Felix Frank (Potsdam) won gold in the four-man kayak over 1000 meters ahead of Spain and Hungary. Jacob Schopf (Potsdam), Olympic silver medalist over 1000 meters with Max Hoff in Tokyo, won the single kayak over 500 meters ahead of Hungary and Portugal.

Julia Hergert (Magdeburg) and Caroline Arft (Essen) crossed the finish line in fifth place in the kayak double over 1000 meters. Annika Loske (Potsdam) was seventh in the Canadier over 500 meters.

Sebastian Brendel and Tim Hecker tore their paddles out of the water and into the air to celebrate. “We’re happy that we were able to win the gold medal in the first final. That’s a nice feeling and gives hope for the 500 meters,” said Brendel: “We were really looking forward to the event here. Of course the World Championships were for us the high point, but shortly after that came the European Championship.”