RRI Sports Club – The 2023 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

6 athletes will represent Romania

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Florin Orban, 23.08.2023, 13:45

The city of Duisburg in Germany is this week hosting the 2023 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships. Apart from medals, competitors also have a chance of securing qualification to the Paris Olympics due next year. Romanias delegation is made up of four men and two women. Cătălin Chirilă will compete in the single canoe 1000m and 500m races. In the double canoe event, Romania will be represented by Ilie Sprincean and Oleg Nuţă. Tania Vîrijac and Oleksandr Komiahin are competing in the mixed double canoe 500m race. Komiahin will also compete in the 5000m single canoe race, whereas Tania Vîrijac has enrolled in the single canoe 200m and 1000m races. In the kayak event, Carmen Morawietz will represent Romania in the womens single kayak 1000m and 500m races.

Romanias biggest hopes are pinned on Cătălin Chirilă, the defending world champion in the 1000m Olympic event and world vice-champion in the 500m event. If he manages to rank among the top five rowers in the 1000m race, Cătălin Chirilă will qualify to the Paris Olympics. Ahead of the competition, Cătălin Chirilă told Radio Romania.

„To be honest, it will be hard to defend my title. I realized that during my training. I felt an involuntary pressure weighing down on my shoulders, and like I said, it will be tough to keep my emotions in check out there, right before the finish line, but I will certainly try my best. I feel ready following my training and I hope to put out a good display, I am sure of it. I would very much want to defend my title in the 1000m race, and I would like a matching performance in the 500m race, where Im the defending world vice-champion. Its impossible to win this race too, because most athletes will also compete in the doubles, singles Olympic events. The 500m race remains therefore open”.

Let us further note that in June, at the 2023 European Games hosted by Poland, Cătălin Chirilă won silver in the 500m race. The 1000m race was not included in the competition. (VP)