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Belarus’ kayaker becomes European champion in 1000 m distance

MINSK, 13 June (BelTA) – Belarusian athlete Vladislav Kravets won gold at the 2026 European Canoe Sprint Championships taking place in Portugal, BelTA has learned.

The Belarusian kayaker became the continent’s best in the 1000 m event. On 11 June, Vladislav Kravets won his preliminary heat and qualified directly for Saturday’s final. After the first half of the decisive race, Vladislav Kravets was eighth out of nine finalists, but in the second 500-meter segment he accelerated and overtook all his competitors. His winning time was 3:24.311. Silver and bronze went to Hungary’s Bálint Kopasz and Portugal’s Fernando Pimenta, respectively.

This gold medal is the third European Championship title of Vladislav Kravets’s career and his first individual one. Vladislav Kravets is also an Olympic finalist, a world championship medalist in the K1 event, and a winner of the world forum in the mixed quartet.

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