The kayakers secured the lead on the first outing. Olympic winner Jiří Prskavec finished second behind Italian Giovanni de Gennar, Vít Přindiš finished sixth and Ondřej Tunka finished 25th.

Sparkler praised the track, which is shortened due to low water levels and has only 18 bases. “I didn’t know exactly what to expect from the track. We have a good 30 to 40 meters less. I liked the track a lot because it is tangled, there is still something going on and there is no no room to push her in. You have to hit well and “I really enjoyed it,” said the second man in the World Cup standings.

Barbora Valíková progressed from the first round among the kayakers. Tereza Fišerová and Veronika Vojtová had to repair. Fišerová and Martina Satková, who leads the series, made it through the first qualifying race in canoeing. “I don’t mind the shortened track. Well, it’s about 94 seconds that kayakers normally ride, so at least us single girls are going to try it out here,” Satková said.

Jan Větrovský, who represented Václav Chaloupka in Tacen, finished fifth in the canoeist qualification, he decided to train before defending his title at the July World Championships in Augsburg. “I’ve been feeling great for a few weeks. I feel like I’m in great shape and I believe I’ll sell it here,” Větrovský said. Tokyo silver Olympian Lukáš Rohan and Adam Král advanced from the repair race, replacing Vojtěch Heger.

Kayak races are scheduled in Tacen on Saturday and canoeing on Sunday.