William Roeser Crowned Double European Champion as Temperatures Rise in Romania

Rising temperatures provided a strong test on day four of the Canoe Marathon European Championships in Romania, but Great Britain once again delivered standout performances, highlighted by William Roeser securing his second European title of the week and a career-best senior K1 finish for Katie Brookes.

Fresh from his short course victory earlier in the week, William Roeser (Wey Kayak Club) took to the water in the Junior Men’s K1 standard distance and produced a performance that confirmed his strength at this Championships. Racing over 20km in cooler early conditions, Roeser remained calm and composed in the opening stages, sitting comfortably on the back washes of the lead group. A decisive moment came at the second turn, when two Spanish athletes attempted a breakaway. Roeser instantly bridged the gap decisively and placed himself firmly back in medal contention.

“I’m actually not sure how [I bridged the gap]. The group opened up somehow and I just managed to get through the group without having to go back behind it and used the Spanish’s side waves as they were going almost center up the lake, followed the waves in to catch them without anyone following me.”

From that point onwards, he looked in control of the race. Confident and efficient through every portage, he frequently exited first. On the final lap, Roeser ensured he entered the last portage in the lead and from there dictated the pace to the finish. Despite a late push from Spain’s Velasco, Roeser held firm to claim his second European title in a time of 01:39:48, completing an exceptional double.

“On the second portage I gave it a go to see what they were made of and I managed to create a little bit of a gap between me and the catching group… but every portage after that I was trying to test them to see who was willing to work and who wasn’t. After the last portage,… once I was leading, I was pretty confident that I could fend him off.”

Competing on the course at the same time was Beth Gill (Nottingham Kayak Club) in the C1 Senior Women’s standard distance. Following her silver medal in the short course earlier in the week, Gill made a powerful start, quickly establishing an early breakaway alongside Ukrainian canoeing legend Babak and Moldova’s Daniela Cociu. Leading into the first portage, Gill’s technical ability in the tricky boats were shown, but a decisive surge from Babak split the race apart.

With Cociu chasing ahead, Gill’s focus turned to securing a podium position. She looked set to claim bronze for much of the race until a late surge from Hungary’s Matkovics, combined with a small paddle issue on the final portage, proved decisive. Gill crossed the line in fourth place, just seconds outside the medals in a performance that nonetheless demonstrated her continued return to top form.

In the Junior Women’s K2 race, the young and developing crew of Imogen Field and Matilda Burton (both Elmbridge Canoe Club) gained valuable experience at international level. A fast start from the leading boats forced them to fight early for position, and they successfully secured a back wash within the front group. However, congestion at the first turn pushed them out the back. From there, they regathered well, using the washes of other boats coming through the field after swims to maintain speed and position as the race unfolded. Crossing the line in 9th place, just five minutes behind the winners, it marked an impressive result for such a young pairing, particularly with Field making her international marathon debut.

As temperatures continued to rise, attention turned to the Senior Women’s K1 race, where Katie Brookes (Richmond Canoe Club) and Brynde Kreft (Falcon Canoe Club) represented Great Britain in a competitive field. In her first year as a senior following progression from under-23 level, Brookes delivered a superb performance. Both athletes made strong starts, confidently securing positions within the lead group and holding pace through the early stages.

Kreft battled hard through the first lap and a half before dropping into a chase group, where she continued to race strongly alongside France’s Boisnard and Serbia’s Bedocs. Brookes, meanwhile, held position within the lead group  on the V-wash despite constant movement within the front washes. As the pace increased into the first portage, she was forced to drop back alongside Spain’s Osa, with the pair working together for the remainder of the race. 

“Going into the race, my main aim was making that front group and then I wanted to just stage there for as long as I can. After that first portage, it was all about race management and conserving the energy to get through the distance,” Katie explained.

In increasingly demanding conditions, Brookes and Kreft kept within the race to secure strong final positions. Katie crossed the line in an outstanding 6th place less than five minutes behind Norway’s Sletsjoe in the gold position, marking her best-ever international result and an exceptional senior K1 debut. Kreft secured 10th place in a strong time. 

“I think everyone’s found it quite hot out here racing but it was flat so I enjoyed it… I am pleased I made the front group and I was able to move around the group with more confidence than I have had in previous years and I just really enjoyed the racing.”

Both will return to race in the Senior Women’s K2, with Brookes partnering Sam Martyn (Wey Kayak Club) and Kreft teaming up with Sophie Dunlop (Elmbridge Canoe Club).

Katie also wanted to give the staff supporting the team a special mention too: “Also shoutout to all the staff out here, particularly Katie Williams, Matt Enoch on the drink changes, and Collette [Johnson] and Chris [Johnson] for all the driving, and Zac [Benstead] for the good vibes.”

The heat showed no signs of easing as the Senior Men’s K1 competitors took to the water, with defending 2025 European Champion James Russell (Chelmsford Canoe Club) and Matt Collinge (Fowey River Canoe Club) representing Great Britain in the challenging conditions. Collinge made an exceptional start, immediately positioning himself within the front group and challenging the big names in the field. Russell initially settled into the back washes before making a decisive move to improve his position ahead of the first turn.

Reflecting on his race strategy, Russell said: “I was down the course yesterday watching the racing so I could see that it would change a lot in the latter laps so certainly not panicking in laps one or two when I was feeling a bit dizzy and sick, I just needed to relax, settle into my own race with the knowledge that it would come back together.”

However, the size and speed of the lead group caused it to fragment early, leaving both British athletes working within chase groups for much of the race. As the relentless pace and extreme heat took their toll, retirements began to increase across the field. Collinge showed impressive determination, at a latter stage finding himself paddling alone after others in his group dropped out, yet he maintained a steady speed and held a consistent gap to those ahead.

“It was a very tricky race, certainly a lot of management going on. If you pushed too hard too early, you would definitely blow up. There were many retirements.”

Both athletes delivered strong performances in tough conditions, with Russell finishing in 6th place and Collinge securing 9th. 

The Championships now move into the final day of racing, with the remaining K2 events set to take place. Great Britain will have five boats competing across the Junior Men’s K2, Senior Women’s K2 and Senior Men’s K2 events. To account for the heat, the senior races have been shortened by one lap for the women and two laps for the men. Both races now have a portage on the first lap too. You can follow the racing live via Paddle Europe’s YouTube channel, with results published throughout the Championships via the Memosoft Spotfokus app.