The Portuguese canoeist Fernando Pimenta seeks to extend, to 15, the record of consecutive long-distance national champion titles, in K1, on Sunday, in Mirandela, in the first official race of the season.
The 33-year-old athlete has been unbeatable since 2009 in the 5,000-meter distance, in which he has even won two European titles and as many world titles, in the event that usually closes international track regatta competitions.
As main rivals, Pimenta must have the Olympic athlete João Ribeiro and José Ramalho, a marathon specialist, and with whom, in 2022, Limiano partnered in the K2 world champion in the 30-kilometer race, in Ponte de Lima.
In the women’s sector, the favoritism falls on Teresa Portela, who already has five national titles and who on Sunday seeks her third in a row, having Francisca Laia and Joana Vasconcelos as her strongest rivals in the Olympic Games in equal parts.
In C1, the star of the female category is the young Beatriz Fernandes, who will debut in the absolute category. In 2022, she won junior world titles for Portugal in the sprint, C1 200 and 1,000m, as well as the Marathon World Championships.
Mirandela will host, for the third consecutive year, the event that brings together over the weekend some 1,000 canoeists from more than 50 clubs, who compete in 42 categories of various levels and distances, in K1, C1 and SUPC (standupcanoe).
Qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games will take place this year, at the World Online Regatta Championship, which will take place between August 23 and 27, in Duisburg, Germany.
Source: TSF
