3 Gold Medals to Close Out 2026 ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships for Australia

The Australian team has finished second on the medal table, with three gold medals on the final day of racing to round out the 2026 ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships.

It was a historic achievement on the final day of racing, with gold medals across the men’s, women’s and paracanoe programs.

The first gold medal of the day went to Tom Green in the men’s K1 500m final, out for redemption after finishing third in the K1 1000m final yesterday.

It was Green’s World Championships win, a surreal achievement for the Aussie.

“After all the years I’ve been racing, this is actually my first world title,” Green said.

“We’ve got really close in the past and today I was able to put it on the line and just not hesitate.

“Obviously I came away with a bit to work on and a bit of hunger after yesterday’s race.

“So today was, I guess, the final straw of the season and I just left everything out on the water,” he said.

Curtis McGrath’s return to World Championships racing became a golden one, taking out the men’s KL2 200m final, his 13th World Championship title.

“I”m pretty stoked with that, I crossed the line and looked across and it didn’t look like I got the win,” McGrath said.

“I didn’t have the greatest start, so to come through and get the result…it was a tight race so I’m very grateful,” he said.

New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) athletes Natalia Drobot and Kailey Harlen – pictured above with NSWIS Canoe Sprint Head Coach Jake Michael – turned their 2025 World Championships silver into gold, becoming the first Australian women’s K2 World Championships gold medalists since 1998.

“It’s pretty surreal, honestly, it’s been a huge year and it’s been a long time overseas for us,” Harlen said.

“So to come away with a win is just the cherry on top, but to do it with a process like we did, and to go out there and nail it – it just feels like we were able to do everything we’ve been doing at training. 

“And to perform it out there today…it’s the best feeling,” she said.

It was an emotional victory for the duo, the glory clear on their faces as they crossed the line. 

“I can’t really describe that feeling. But in the race I felt so free and I think I was just so stoked that we were able to put such a good race together.

“And then looking across and seeing that we’ve won, that just made it 10 times better,” she said.

Drobot also claimed bronze in the women’s K1 500, and Riley Fitzsimmons (NSWIS) silver in the men’s K4 500.

Today’s racing brings to a close the 2026 ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships, Australia finishing with four gold, one silver and two bronze medals.

Photo: Jake Michael, NSWIS