Delfour’s silver-plated performance at Penrith Open

Australian Olympian Lucien Delfour – coming off two medals in the 2025 World Cup season – started 2026 with a strong 88.10 run in the men’s K1 heats of the Penrith Open underway at the Penrith Whitewater Stadium,

While he was the fastest qualifier, Delfour needed to masterfully work his way around the course in the final after a ‘touch’ on the first gate. Despite the setback, he finished a mere 0.60 seconds behind Japan’s Yuuki Tanaka who took out the race in a time of 86.67,. 

“I’m fairly happy with the result,” said Delfour, a New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder. “I had an unfortunate touch on the first gate . . . can’t remember the last time that’s happened . . . probably 15 or 16 years ago.

“It’s actually quite an interesting way to race because you feel a little bit more free to attack because you know you already made a mistake. In the end, I was happy with the paddling.” 

Five months after winning the women’s K1 gold at the ICF Slalom World Championships in Penrith, Poland’s World Champion Klaudia Zwolinska again showcased her class to win the women’s K1 title. 

“It’s really nice for me to come back here to Penrith after the world championships. Today I had a really good final run and I’m happy but I’m still on my preparation period,” said Zwolinska, who won a medal in every individual event at the ‘Worlds’, including gold in the women’s K1 and C1.

“I really like this place. This is one of favourite places for the preparation [period]. Now after Worlds, it’s even more special.”

Australian Olympic champion Noemie Fox (NSWIS) dominated the women’s K1 heats with a fast 96.31 seconds run, a 3.5 seconds lead over second place. However, in the final, Georgie O’Callaghan finished the best placed of the locals in fourth place, while fellow Aussies Kate Eckhardt and Fox finished fifth and sixth respectively. 

The final day of the Penrith Open will focus on the Kayak Cross as the Australians continue to fight for their selection in this year’s national team. Racing kicks off from 9am AEDT at Penrith Whitewater Stadium with the individual kayak cross time trial. 

PENRITH OPEN DAY 2 RESULTS

Women’s K1

1st – Klaudia Zwolinska (POL)

2nd – Zuzana Pankova (SVK)

3rd – Eva Alina Hocevar (SLO) 

Men’s K1

1st – Yuuki Tanaka (JPN)

2nd – Lucien Delfour (AUS)

3rd – Ziga Lin Hocevar (SLO)

For Penrith Open schedule and results, click here

Photos: JRG Images