The European Canoe Sprint Championships are currently underway in the Czech city of Račice, where the Ukrainian national team has made a strong impression, winning multiple medals on the first day of finals.
Lyudmyla Luzan captured Ukraine’s first gold medal by triumphing in the women’s single canoe 500m event with a time of 2:06.807. This victory marks her third medal at this year’s European Championships and the 11th of her career at continental level. Luzan, originally from Ivano-Frankivsk, is also a two-time Olympic silver medalist (2020 and 2024) in the double canoe and earned a bronze medal in the single canoe at the 2020 Games.
Adding to the success, Ukrainian paracanoeist Vladyslav Epifanov took gold in the VL3 200m event, further boosting the team’s medal tally.
The morning finals session saw Ukrainian paddlers standing on the podium three times:
- Silver: Lyudmyla Luzan (canoe single, 200m) with a time of 45.658 seconds
- Bronze: Andriy Rybachok (canoe single, 200m) finishing in 38.544 seconds
- Bronze: Mykola Syniuk (paracanoe KL2, 200m) with a time of 42.636 seconds
Congratulations to the athletes, their coaches, and the entire Ukrainian team on their impressive performance at the 2025 ECA Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe European Championships. The competition continues through June 19, with Ukraine aiming to add even more medals.
