2026 Freestyle european championships
The 2026 Paddle Europe Freestyle Championships took place at Neitikoski, Finland, from 10th-13th June 2026, on a wave tucked deep in the Finnish forest. The feature delivered a demanding but rewarding playground: a flushy but powerful wave with a narrow right-side entry, with both hole and wave moves doable. Described as “high effort, high reward,” the risk of flushing was always balanced by the possibility of huge aerial moves, and the paddlers delivered a great show! The finals on Saturday 13th June closed out four days of intense competition.
In C1 Women, Germany dominated the podium. Lucia Hacker climbed from second in semis to take the European title, ahead of teammate Naya Daruwala in silver. Great Britain’s Ottilie Burrill-Smith secured bronze after a tight fight, with Poland’s Zofia Tula narrowly missing the podium.
C1 Men saw France’s Tom Dolle defended his title with gold again. Abel Thenevet completed a French one-two with silver, while Great Britain’s Matthew Stephenson earned bronze.
« The risk of flushing was always balanced by the possibility of huge aerial moves »
Junior K1 Men produced huge scores, with Great Britain’s Math Cradock taking first, France’s Arthur Genovese second, and Germany’s Lukas Ramsayer third. In Junior Women K1, Poland’s Maja Kawczynska rose from fifth in semis to win gold, followed by Germany’s Linn Schaefer and Ireland’s Mea Minchin.
In Senior Women K1, Finland’s Taru Terni delivered a historic home victory, winning gold ahead of Ireland’s Leah Hough and Great Britain’s Isabella Wormall. The Men’s K1 final was won by Poland’s Tomasz Czaplicki, defending his European title. France’s Tom Dolle added a second medal with silver, and Poland’s Bartosz Czauderna took bronze.
C1 Men saw France’s Tom Dolle defended his title with gold again. Abel Thenevet completed a French one-two with silver, while Great Britain’s Matthew Stephenson earned bronze.
Overall, Germany, France, and Great Britain led the medal table, followed closely by Poland, Ireland, and Finland. A rare treat for freestyle paddlers, it was great to see this year’s Euro Champs taking place on a natural spot in the middle of beautiful landscapes, and, on top of that, on a wave! Next stop for the freestyle community is the World Cup in Millau, France (June 22nd–27th).
