João Ribeiro stands out in the Nationals of canoeing with two titles
Olympic canoeist João Ribeiro won national speed titles in K1 200 and 500 meters, in Montemor-o-Velho.
João Ribeiro kept the scepter in the 500 meters, after beating Fernando Pimenta and Messias Baptista, while in the 200 he surpassed Hugo Rocha and Kevin Santos.
Fernando Pimenta remains unbeatable in the 1,000 meters, this time having as podium colleagues Fábio Cameira and Emanuel Silva, who eight years ago won the silver in Portugal in London2012.
In the women’s sector, Francisca Laia won the title of K1 200 meters, overlapping Joana Vasconcelos and Teresa Portela. Joana Vasconcelos, however, dominated the 500 meters, ahead of Teresa Portela and Sara Sotero.
Another highlight is Marco Apura‘s triumphs in C1 500 and 1,000 meters, while Inês Penetra is the new national champion in C1 200 and 500.
Due to the covid-19 pandemic, the kayaking contingency plan only contemplates K1 and C1 events, so in 2020 there will be no K2, K4, C2 and C4 champions.
The High-Performance Center of Montemor-o-Velho received about 400 kayakers, divided into distance groups, in order to have as few athletes as possible in the complex simultaneously.
For Tokyo2020, to be held in the summer of 2021, Fernando Pimenta, João Ribeiro, Emanuel Silva, Messias Baptista, David Varela and Teresa Portela are already qualified in the online races and Antoine Launay in the slalom.
