Australian slalom canoeist Kate Eckhardt has won a bronze medal in the Women’s Kayak (K1) final at the 2025 ICF Slalom World Championships in Penrith, marking a career-best individual achievement for the 27-year-old athlete.
The table below summarizes the key details of her performance.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Event | 2025 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships – Women’s K1 (Kayak) Final |
| Location | Penrith Whitewater Stadium, Sydney, Australia |
| Date | October 3, 2025 |
| Result | 🥉 Bronze Medal |
| Final Time | 103.84 seconds |
| Medalists | 🥇 Klaudia Zwolińska (Poland) – 100.32s 🥈 Kimberley Woods (Great Britain) – 102.09s 🥉 Kate Eckhardt (Australia) – 103.84s |
🛶 A Breakthrough Performance
Eckhardt, who was ranked 10th after the semi-finals, started third in the 12-paddler final and delivered a clean, penalty-free run that put her in the lead for much of the medal round. She then faced a nervous wait as the world’s top paddlers, including Olympic gold medalists, took their turns.
- Nervous Wait: Eckhardt described the experience as “very, very nerve-wracking,” knowing that any of the other finalists could beat her time. Her bronze medal was only confirmed after the final paddler, France’s Camille Prigent, completed her run in sixth place.
- Career Milestone: This bronze is Eckhardt’s first individual medal at a senior World Championship and a significant improvement from her previous best of 28th place in the K1 discipline. She called the win “surreal” and “amazing,” stating she didn’t believe it herself yet.
- Home Crowd Support: Eckhardt highlighted the significance of achieving this result in front of a home crowd, saying, “I couldn’t ask for anything more. I’ve got so many friends and family here… The crowd was unreal”.
🇦🇺 Other Australian Results
Eckhardt’s bronze was the second medal for Australia at these World Championships, following Kaylen Bassett’s bronze in the Men’s C1 the previous day. Other Australian results from the K1 events include:
- Noemie Fox: Finished 12th in the Women’s K1 final.
- Lucien Delfour: Finished 5th in the Men’s K1 final.
- Tim Anderson: Finished 10th in the Men’s K1 final.
Hope this summary of Kate Eckhardt’s fantastic achievement is helpful. Would you like to know more about the kayak cross event happening next?