Noemie Fox OAM – WC1.  Action and course photos by Noel Rowsell.

THE 2025 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships played out in front of huge crowds over the 29th September – 4th October at Penrith’s Whitewater Stadium.

Australians Kaylen Bassett and Kate Eckhardt were the star duo for the Australian team, with Kaylen grabbing bronze in the Men’s Canoe and Kate a bronze in the Women’s Kayak.

Australia had five paddlers reach a Final, with Noemie Fox OAM achieving the feat in both WC1 and WK1, Kaylen in MC1, Kate WK1, Lucien Delfour MK1 and Tim Anderson MK1.

Kaylen claimed Australia’s first medal of the Championships on Day Four, putting in the race of a lifetime to win bronze in the Men’s Canoe (MC1).

Ranked eighth after the semi-finals, he unleashed a show-stopping run in the Final, making the most of boisterous home crowd support.

Battling winds that disrupted the field, Kaylen produced a flawless run – beaten only by Olympic champion Nicolas Gestin (FRA) and Ryan Westley (GBR).

Before today’s breakthrough, Kaylen’s best result at a senior world championship was 39th.

“I’m shocked. I don’t believe it, still,” he said. “I feel like I’m still waiting for someone else to come down the course, to be honest, but I think it’s going to hit me very, very soon.

“I’ve had a really good season so far. I’ve made three out of four finals at the World Cups that I was racing at, but racing in the Finals had kind of been this next step that I was trying to overcome, and to do it here in front of a home crowd, home course, friends, family, it couldn’t have come at a better time and this is a day I’ve got to remember for sure.”

Klaudia Zwolinska (POL) claimed gold in the women’s C1, while Alsu Minazova (AIN) claimed silver and Ana Satila (BRA) bronze.

Despite being one of only three athletes to deliver a clean run in the WC1 Final, Noemie was more than eight seconds off the pace, finishing ninth in the overall standings.

Day Five delivered another bronze lining for Australia, with Kate beating some of the sport’s best female paddlers to deliver our second bronze medal in 24 hours, this time in the WK1.

Kate was an early starter in the Final but rose to the occasion, tackling the Penrith Whitewater Stadium course with precision to set a fast benchmark, then faced a tense wait as some of the biggest names in the sport chased her time.

With this result, the 27-year-old achieved the biggest individual win of her career.

“Kami (Camille Prigent) was about a whisker away from being ahead of me, so I need to go find her and give her a big hug,” Kate said.

“But it was very, very, nerve wracking. I was just happy with the run that I put down and really proud of how it all came together.

“It’s amazing, surreal… I don’t think I really believe it myself yet but here we are,” she said.

“I couldn’t ask for anything more. I’ve got so many friends and family here. I’m so, so lucky to have their support around me. The crowd was unreal, and I’m so grateful to have the support that I’ve had here today and throughout the week.”

Poland’s Klaudia Zwolinska claimed gold ahead of Kimberley Woods (GBR) in second place and Kate third, whilst Noemie finished 12th.

In the men’s Kayak (MK1) event, Australia’s Lucien Delfour finished in fifth position in the Final, ahead of fellow Australian Tim Anderson in 10th.

Australia could not pull a rabbit out of the hat on Day Six, with only Lucien managing to progress through the Heats of the Kayak Cross, before he was eliminated in the Quarter Finals.