British Development Juniors take on the River Seine at the 2025 French National Championships
British development juniors returned from Vernon last week with several podiums and valuable lessons. Racing on the fast, busy River Seine forced them to adapt due to strong currents, large river traffic and tricky portages. The whole experience sharpened their racing, boosted confidence and created valuable lessons for them to take into a winter of training at their local clubs.
The 2025 French National Canoe Marathon Championships were held on the wide, fast-flowing River Seine in Vernon, where heavy river traffic and a noticeable downstream current challenged the juniors. Athletes quickly learned that the usual pontoon side was difficult to launch from and that using the opposite side or running to the end of the pontoon often produced better, faster exits at portages.
Saturday began with the K2 races. In the U14 girls’ K2, Ruth Shephard (Reading Canoe Club) and Ariana Manley (Wey Kayak Club) produced a strong start, then settled into a comfortable lead that they maintained to take the win. Finn Meredith (Elmbridge Canoe Club) and Edward Stroud (Wey Kayak Club) faced a highly competitive U14 K2 field and finished fourth. In the U16 K2 races Imogen Field (Elmbridge Canoe Club) and Kyla Holt (Richmond Canoe Club) made an excellent start and led to victory. Johanna Milbrandt (Cambridge Canoe Club) and Jocelyn Allan (Wey Kayak Club) started slightly slower due to the mixed, busy start line causing a lot of wash but paddled strongly through the field to claim second. In the longer and high-competitive U16 22 km K2, Marcell Nagy (Reading Canoe Club) and Henry Pitt (Royal Canoe Club) took third while Ben Eskriett (Gailey Canoe Club) and Owen Attwood (Wey Kayak Club) finished fourth.
Sunday’s programme featured the K1 races. In the U14 girls’ K1, Ruth S began alongside a French paddler but used clean portages to drop her rival on the second lap and paddled the remainder of the course alone to win. Ariana M moved through the field throughout the race and finish eighth. Finn M and Edward S produced solid U14 K1 performances, finishing tenth and eleventh respectively.
The U16 K1 races produced close racing. In the girls’ event a French paddler eventually broke away; Imogen F worked to distance herself from team-mate Kyla H and secured second with Kyla third. Johanna M, competing in her first international K1, put in a confident performance to finish ninth, while Jocelyn A finished twelfth. The U16 boys’ K1 saw Henry P finish sixth and Owen A tenth. Marcell N was in the leading group early but took a wrong turn and attempted a portage a lap too early, costing time and leaving him thirteenth, with Ben E fourteenth.
The course and racing provided significant challenges and opportunities for learning for the whole team. Clean and calm portages proved decisive across the weekend. We hope that the whole team has been enthused by the trip to motivate them into another winter of training.
Thank you to our volunteer staff team that supported the trip and guided the juniors throughout the racing and off the water: Suzanne de Bruijin, Charlie Smith, Brian Greenham, and Zach Benstead.
