The International Elite Show Their Potential at the First Ciutat de Palma Canoeing Event

A spectacular day of racing at the lake in Parc de la Mar, featuring 32 canoeists who collectively boast 30 Olympic medals and 380 international podiums.

Spanish Carlos Arévalo and Portuguese Teresa Portela claimed victory at the first Ciutat de Palma Canoeing Trophy, after an exciting day of competition at Parc de la Mar, at the foot of the Mallorca Cathedral. The event, which showcased a magnificent display of technique and speed, marks a before and after in the conception of this sport, thanks to an innovative 300-meter regatta format. Starting and finishing at the same point, with a mandatory ciaboga maneuver at the halfway mark, this new scheme provided an unprecedented spectacle.

The Ciutat de Palma Canoeing, organized by the Real Club Náutico de Palma (RCNP), debuted with resounding success, gathering thousands of citizens who came to Parc de la Mar taking advantage of the holiday. The inaugural edition brought together the world elite, with an impressive record including 30 Olympic medals and over 380 international podiums. The event also coincided with the fortieth anniversary of the inauguration of Parc de la Mar, whose artificial lake proved to be the perfect setting to celebrate this historic day, recalling that October 12, 1984, when this iconic space in the Balearic capital opened its doors to the public.

In the qualifying races, held between 9:00 and 11:40 AM, there were unexpected surprises with the elimination of two of the male category favorites: Saúl Craviotto, the absolute reference in Spanish canoeing with six Olympic medals, and Rodrigo Germade, a double Olympic medalist.

The Elite category qualifiers gave way to the junior races, featuring young canoeists from the main Balearic nautical clubs. These competitions lasted until 3:30 PM. The winners received their trophies from some of their idols, who then prepared to compete from 4:30 to 6:30 PM in the semifinals and the grand final of the Ciutat de Palma Trophy.

The weather conditions aligned with the organization. The sky was clear throughout the day, and only at the start of the competition, early in the morning, did the wind kick up some waves. In the afternoon, once the semifinalists were screened, the conditions were typical of a calm water track. The pass to the definitive test was decided in races of three canoeists, where only the third place was eliminated. Triple Olympic medalist Marcus Cooper was one of them and had to settle for a spot in the consolation B final.

Eight athletes qualified for each final (male and female). The excitement was absolute in both categories. The ciaboga maneuver caused some collisions and determined the fate of the sprinters. Teresa Portela, followed on the podium by German Jule Hake and Danish Frederikke Mathiesen, was very satisfied with her performance and the relative ease of her victory: "It was fun because we weren't sure how we were going to do the tactics. I had no problems in the ciaboga and I can't complain. I didn't expect to win, but in the end, it was something natural."

The uncertainty marked the men's final, which was decided by a narrow margin. Spanish Enrique Adán, who had crossed the finish line in first place, was penalized for a false start, which moved Carlos Arévalo up to first place, with Mallorcan Álex Graneri in second and German Jacob Schopf in third. Arévalo explained that the race was "very tough and very close," and that he benefited from a collision in the ciaboga: "Then I saw I was lined up straight for the finish line, I thought the final sprint was my moment and I went for it."

Manuel Fraga, director of the RCNP, was euphoric with the reception, both from athletes and the public, and hoped that the Ciutat de Palma would consolidate as a benchmark international event. "We have set the bar very high, but that inspires and motivates us. Parc de la Mar has proven to be a magnificent lake for canoeing. It took some risk and creativity to adapt the competition format to the characteristics of the track, but it's clear that we got it right," assured Fraga.