European Games 2023: Olympic champs Jiri Prskavec and Ricarda Funk win canoe slalom titles to earn Czechia and Germany Paris 2024 quotas
Prskavec moved a step closer to winning medals at three consecutive Olympic Games after Funk claimed gold having almost missed out on the final.
Canoe Slalom
Tokyo 2020 champions Ricarda Funk and Jiri Prskavec were victorious in the K1 canoe slalom finals at the 2023 European Games on Saturday (1 July).
That saw the pair earn respective Olympic quota spots for Germany and Czechia at Paris 2024.
Despite her dominant result in the final standings, it was a nerve-racking competition day for Funk.
The reigning world champion struggled in the semi-final, making the cut-off for the final by a mere 0.08 seconds.
She managed to shave more than five seconds off her time in the final, but Poland's Klaudia Zwolinska would have taken gold but for incurring four penalty seconds on her run.
In the end, Funk won by almost two seconds with Zwolinska picking up silver and Czechia's Tereza Fiserova the bronze.
Jiri Prskavec: A stroke closer to third Olympic medal
After Fiserova's bronze, Czechia then won gold in the men's K1 final courtesy of Jiri Przkavec.
The reigning European champion made a clean run to take victory by 1.39 seconds from Switzerland's Martin Dougoud.
Dougoud, in turn, was 0.20 seconds ahead of bronze medallist, Britain's Rio 2016 champion Joe Clarke.
If the Czech Olympic Committee selects Prskavec to be a part of its delegation at Paris 2024, the 30-year-old athlete will have a chance to win a medal at a third consecutive Games.
In addition to the gold Prskavec won in Tokyo, he also has a bronze from Rio 2016.