Great Britain added two more international medals to their season's haul as round three of the 2024 ICF Wildwater Canoeing World Cup series played out in Italy.
Having medalled in five disciplines at the opening two rounds last weekend, GB took two of the three podium places in the women's canoe double.
Emma and Kerry Christie added silver to the double gold they picked up in North Macedonia, while Mags Dilai and Laura Milne opened their international campaign with bronze.
“It was very hard,” said Kerry.
“I was constantly steering because you go over a wave pointing that way and it bumps you back another way.”
Mags added: “I've not been on a course that big and we were using a different boat so it felt different, but we got used to it pretty quickly.”
The British team arrived in Italy after two days of travelling from North Macedonia.
Alex Sheppy, who earned a brilliant K1 sprint bronze medal in Veles, was the only paddler not to make the trip, with work commitments sending him back to the UK.
But the team was refreshed by four new faces who missed the opening event, held on much flatter waters – Laura Milne, Mags Dilai, Jacob Holmes and Robert Jefferies.
Day one saw paddlers battle it out for the classic medals over a tough course featuring plenty of white water on the River Noce – a stern test made all the more testing by yet higher water levels on race day.
“It is very hard and absolutely non-stop white water,” said GB team manager Jamie Christie.
“The boats are moving and bouncing and twitching all over the place – you are working flat out to hold your line.”
The morning's top British time came from Freddie Brown who was our only paddler to break the 12-minute barrier.
He battled down the 5km K1 men's classic course in 11min 49.68secs.
“I'm very happy with that,” he said.
“The higher water this morning made it quite a challenge to put yourself in a position of hurt without worrying about the consequences.
“There was a lot of fighting with the boat to try and keep it where you want it, but I quite like that kind of thing and
it came together nicely enough on the day.”
It placed him 18th in the 34-man field which was topped by Frenchman Augustin Reboul, a clear winner in 11:04.23.
Nick Boreham, quickest of the Brits on the classic course in Veles on Sunday, was next best British performer, clocking 12:04.42 for 22nd.
Rob Jefferies and Jacob Holmes faced a tough start to their international season in the Val di Sole but cemented top-25 finishes.
Rob crossed the line just a few seconds slower than his team-mate in 12:07.31 for 23rd, while Jacob was 25th in 12:12.53.
The British women's K1 paddlers were left disappointed after a tough morning.
Kerry Christie was back on course in the women’s K1 classic, just four days after winning silver in round two of the World Cup – her second individual medal of the weekend.
With many hours of travelling also packed in, Kerry was unable to replicate her medal pace in Italy, crossing the line in 12min 22.75secs for a 14th-placed finish.
Emma Christie was the next-quickest Brit in 12:34.81 for 16th, just one place and a handful of seconds ahead of Scottish paddler Laura Milne (12:40.65).
“The girls were disappointed, but we never get to paddle water like this until we come out here,” Jamie added.
“So with two days of training after two days sat in a minibus they have done really well, considering the preparation they've had.”
Andrew Crowhurst was back in the men's canoe after his impressive top-five finish in North Macedonia.
He was almost interrupted by a paddler who broke onto the course just after the start of his run, but he got away safely and would cross the line in 13min 06.88secs for 14th.
French paddler Nicholas Sauteur took the gold, pipping Ondrej Rolenc, of the Czech Republic, by less than two seconds.
But the team would not leave day one empty-handed as they sealed medals in the women's canoe double.
Mags Dilai and Laura Milne got their boat safely home, crossing the line third-quickest in a time of 13min 20.90secs.
The Christie sisters went down last and posted 12:47.28 for silver, behind the French pair of Laura Fontaine and Eve Vitali-Guilbert who won gold with 12:28.85.
It was a third medal of the season for Emma and a fifth for her elder sibling.
Attention for the next two days turns to the sprint events, with heats held on Friday ahead of the finals on day three.
Results
Women's K1
14th – Kerry Christie 12:22.75; 16th – Emma Christie 12:34.81; 17th – Laura Milne 12:40.65
Men's K1
18th – Freddie Brown 11:49.68; 22nd – Nick Boreham 12:04.42; 23rd – Robert Jefferies 12:07.31; 25th – Jacob Holmes 12:12.53
Men's C1
14th – Andrew Crowhurst 13:06.88
Women's C2
Silver – Emma Christie/Kerry Christie 12:47.28; bronze – Mags Dilai/Laura Milner 13:20.90