Category: National

This weekend, over 700 competitors will head to Norwich to chase the prestigious title of National Champion across every age group, boat class (canoe, kayak, para, SUP), and gender category. With so many strong contenders on the start line, the podium battles are guaranteed to be tight. Who will rise to the top to claim the overall win?

In the Senior K1 and K2 categories, title battles look apparent in both Men and Women fields. In the Senior Men’s K1, reigning European and National Champion James Russell (Chelmsford Canoe Club) returns to defend his title. But with top challengers including Charlie Smith, Matthew Johnson, and Daniel Johnson (all from Nottingham Kayak Club), plus international entry Syver Borge Saksvik from Norway, it promises to be a fierce fight.

In the Senior Women’s K1, reigning champ Melissa Johnson (Nottingham Kayak Club) faces tough competition from international medalist and former National Champion Samantha Rees-Clark, also representing Nottingham Kayak Club.

In the Senior Men’s K2, the field is wide open. Previous champions aren’t racing together, with Matthew Johnson now paired with Matthew Collinge (Fowey River Canoe Club). European Championship crews, including James Russell & Charlie Smith, and Sam Cribbett & Joseph Enoch (both Nottingham Kayak Club), are sure to be in contention as well, while other crews are more than capable of a surprise podium finish. This could be potentially one of the most exciting race of the weekend.

The Senior Women K2 race has four boats who could all compete for podium spots with our two European Championship crews of Katie Brookes (Richmond Canoe Club) and Elise Montagna (Royal Canoe Club), and Jessie Urquhart (Nottingham Kayak Club) and Brynde Kreft (Falcon Canoe Club) lining up alongside experienced international medalist Fay Lamph pairing with Greta Roeser (Wey Kayak Club) as well as Nerys Hall and Samantha Martyn (Wey Kayak Club).

Of course, this is just a small glimpse into the packed programme of racing taking place across the weekend. This year marks a milestone with the highest number of KL3 para entries ever, highlighting the growth of the para marathon fields. The action builds to a thrilling finale on Sunday afternoon with the Mixed K2, a large and fiercely competitive field that’s sure to deliver a dramatic close. Many of the age group categories are also shaping up to be incredibly close, promising exciting battles from start to finish.

For a follow look at all the entries for this years National Championships, click here.

For full details of races and timings for the day, visit Norwich Canoe Clubs event specific site here.

We will try to provide as many updates as we can via our Social Media sites throughout the two days of action but also tune into Norwich Canoe Clubs Social Media sites for additional coverage.

We are looking forward to a weekend of exciting!

The British National Short Course Championships 2025 provided new challenges for the 180-strong field with unusual windy and cool conditions, but marathon racers still produced an exciting show for onlookers.

A busy one-day competition, Short Course Nationals is marathon racing’s most exciting, action-packed distance with 3.6k and 2 portages of fast-paced tactics and group dynamics.

The event was created by James Symthe, the secretary of the Marathon Racing Committee and Team Manager of international teams. The 2025 edition of the event returned to Nene Park in Peterborough for a fourth year in a row, but sadly, the perfectly calm and warm weather conditions we had come to expect from the location did not return. Competitors were greeted with gusts of up to 27 mph and a cold edge to the area. This did not stop for some very intense and close racing from all categories.

To continue to read the rest of the report, please visit the paddleUK website news article here.

We are now three weeks away from the 2025 edition of Short Course Nationals. If you have a company that would be interested in a trade stand or to sponsor the event in any way (if you are still yet to talk to us), please get in touch.

Email Holly Mobbs the event organiser to start the conversation.

Due to reasons completely out of Worcester Canoe Club’s control, the original published date for the 2025 Hasler Finals has had to be moved to the 5th October.

Please update your personal calendars as well as any club calendars used. We look forward to seeing lots of competitive racing from qualified clubs and paddlers on the new date.