The Portuguese Olympic canoeist Messias Baptista assumed this Friday that the European title of K1 200 meters won in Poland is one of the most special moments of his career.
“He is certainly the tallest. He feels good after the very good race of the K2 500 (with João Ribeiro), which unfortunately we did not fall in love with. Today I managed to take revenge and take something home. It’s surreal, ”he assumed.
Messias, 24, won the European Games in 36.845 seconds, beating, in the fight for the podium, the Swedish Petter Menning, silver, 0.334 seconds, and the Latvian Roberts Akmens, bronze, 0.344.
“It was a fantastic race. Competing in the 200 meters is surreal, incredible. I love that adrenaline rush of having nine athletes giving it their all to the finish line. I woke up with the ‘feeling’ I had today, I felt fast and competitive. Finally, look to the side and see that I am European champion, I won the European Games! I’m still not in myself…” he confessed.
Fourth place in the K2 500 metres, just 15 milliseconds from bronze and 45 from silver, has not yet been digested by the athlete who, he confesses, even feels “more motivated to continue working hard and qualify for Paris 2024”. .
For the Olympic Games, Messias Baptista is in the K2 500 with João Ribeiro and the duo is usually in the K4 500, which in Krakow was presented with Emanuel Silva, David Varela, Kevin Santos and the improvised Fernando Pimenta.
“Winning this K1 shows my value and makes the motivation for the world cup even easier. The focus remains and in August we will select the Portuguese boats for Paris 2024”, confesses Messias Baptista, who succeeds his partner in the European title Kevin Santos.
This was Portugal’s third medal in these III European Games Krakow 2023, and the first gold, after Francisca Laia got bronze minutes before, also in K1 200 meters, and one day after Ana Cruz was third in kata, a discipline of karate.
The Kraków2023 European Games will take place until July 2 in Krakow and in the Polish region of Malopolska, with 30 sports on the program and 48 participating countries, including Portugal, which has a delegation of more than two hundred athletes.
Source: TSF
