Australian Canoe Slalom Team closes 2026 World Cup season in style

The Australian Canoe Slalom Team has wrapped up the 2026 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup season in La Seu d’Urgell, Spain, with a series of strong performances across K1, C1 and Kayak Cross.

New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder Jessica Fox was once again the standout performer, claiming the Women’s K1 World Cup Series title after winning gold in the final round, while also finishing second overall in the Women’s C1 standings.

Here’s a look back at how the Australians performed across the World Cup Final program.

Day 1: Australians progress through Kayak Cross Time Trials 

The World Cup Final got underway with the Kayak Cross Time Trials, with all six Australian paddlers progressing through to Round 1 races on the final day. 

Lucien Delfour led the Australian contingent – and fellow NSWIS athletes – in 13th, with Jessica Fox (14th), Tim Anderson (19th) and Noemie Fox (20th) all finishing inside the top 20. 

Merle Long (NSWIS) placed 29th, while Ada Mackie finished 39th, with all six Aussies securing their place in the knockout stages.

Day 2: Fox claims K1 World Cup crown

Jessica Fox produced a brilliant performance to win Women’s K1 gold and secure her sixth overall K1 World Cup Series title.

Fox navigated a demanding program of heats, semi final and final all on the same day, saving her best performance for the final. Despite picking up an early two-second penalty, she powered through the course to finish in 93.77 seconds and claim the victory.

The result saw Fox finish the K1 World Cup Series on 322 points, securing her 13th overall World Cup title across K1 and C1.

Noemie Fox delivered another personal best performance in the women’s K1, backing up her run in Paris the week before. She was on the podium until the final paddler and finished fourth in the women’s K1 final.

Tim Anderson also progressed to the Men’s K1 final and finished eighth. Lucien Delfour finished 28th in the Men’s K1 semi-final, with Ben Pope placing 37th in the heats.

Day 3: Fox finishes second in C1 Series

The Canoe events provided another dramatic day of racing, with Jessica Fox finishing second overall in the Women’s C1 World Cup Series after a tight battle for the title.

Fox entered the final needing a top-six finish to claim the Series crown but a costly error at gate 15 saw her capsize and finish seventh.

Eva Alina Hocevar (SLO) took the overall C1 World Cup title with 234 points, just two points ahead of Fox on 232, while Tereza Kneblova (CZE) finished third on 223 points.

Despite missing out on the title, Fox’s C1 campaign included World Cup victories in Prague and Augsburg and saw her finish on the overall podium.

Tristan Carter delivered one of the team’s standout performances of the event, finishing fourth in the Men’s C1 final after briefly taking the lead with a rapid run. It was Carter’s best result of the 2026 World Cup Series.

Kaylen Bassett (NSWIS) finished 26th in the Men’s C1 semi-final, while Lachlan Bassett placed 41st in the heats. Noemie Fox finished 43rd in the Women’s C1 heats.

Day 4: Australians make their mark in Kayak Cross

The final day of the World Cup season saw the team take on Kayak Cross, with six Australians progressing through to the knockout stages.

Merle Long produced the best Australian result, reaching the Men’s semi-final and finishing sixth overall. It marked his second World Cup Kayak Cross semi-final appearance of the season.

Tim Anderson also progressed through to the quarter-finals, finishing 14th overall, while Jessica Fox and Ada Mackie both reached the quarter-finals in the women’s event, finishing 14th and 15th respectively.

Lucien Delfour placed 21st after the heats, while Noemie Fox finished 26th.

The World Cup Final brought the 2026 season to a close with another strong campaign from the Australian Canoe Slalom Team.

Fox’s K1 World Cup title, second in the women’s C1 title and three gold medals at the 2026 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships cap a remarkable comeback season, just 12 months after kidney surgery, while the team produced finals appearances and strong results across all three disciplines.

The Australian team will now turn its attention to the 2027 season, starting back home in Australia in February, before returning to La Seu d’Urgell for the 2027 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships.

AUSTRALIAN CANOE SLALOM WORLD CUP FINAL RESULTS

Day 1: Men’s and Women’s Kayak Cross Time Trial

Lucien Delfour – 13th

Jessica Fox – 14th

Tim Anderson – 19th

Noemie Fox – 20th

Merle Long – 29th

Ada Mackie – 39th

Day 2: Men and Women’s Kayak

Jessica Fox – 1st

Noemie Fox – 4th

Tim Anderson – 8th

Lucien Delfour – 28th

Ben Pope – 27th

Day 3: Men’s and Women’s Canoe

Tristan Carter – 4th

Jessica Fox – 7th

Kaylen Bassett – 26th

Lachlan Bassett – 41st

Noemie Fox – 43rd

Day 4: Men’s and Women’s Kayak Cross

Merle Long – 6th

Tim Anderson – 14th

Jessica Fox – 14th

Ada Mackie – 15th

Lucien Delfour – 21st

Noemie Fox – 26th

FINAL AUSTRALIAN WORLD CUP STANDINGS (TOP 20)

Men’s Kayak

Lucien Delfour – 19th

Tim Anderson – 20th

Women’s Kayak

Jessica Fox – 1st

Noemie Fox – 12th

Men’s Canoe

Tristan Carter – 11th

Women’s Canoe

Jessica Fox – 2nd

Men’s Kayak Cross

Merle Long – 11th

Women’s Kayak Cross

Noemie Fox – 19th

Men’s Kayak Cross Individual Time Trial

Lucien Delfour – 6th

Tim Anderson – 20th

Women’s Kayak Cross Individual Time Trial

Jessica Fox – 14th

Noemie Fox – 19th

Paddle Australia