France's Emilie Fer won K1W gold at the ICF World Cup Final in Pau ©ICF

France's Olympic champion Emilie Fer stepped onto the podium for the first time in more than a year after winning K1W gold on home soil at the International Canoe Federation (ICF) Slalom World Cup Final in Pau.

Fer finished ahead of Australia’s Jessica Fox, as she did at London 2012, while Austria's Corinna Kuhnle had to settle for bronze after a costly early mistake ended any chance of rivalling the top two.  

"The run was not technically perfect but it’s a really positive outcome, and that’s the only thing that matters today," said the gold medallist.

"Tomorrow I will sit down and try and see why I wasn't able to follow my plan perfectly."

Fer’s victory puts down a marker ahead of next month’s World Championships at the Lee Valley White Water Centre in Waltham Cross, England - the venue built for London 2012. 

"London is the same kind of course, with big water," she added.

"What you plan before the race is not always easy to apply and you have to hang in there.

"I can build on today’s victory to prepare for the same kind of experience at the World Championships."

Czech Republic’s Jonas Kaspar and Marek Sindler took top spot in the C2M event
Czech Republic’s Jonas Kaspar and Marek Sindler took top spot in the C2M event ©Getty Images

Kuhnle’s performance was enough to secure the overall season title, despite finishing in third place. 

Slovakia’s Jana Dukatova ended up level on 264 points with Kuhnle but her inferior finish in the final race, in which she came sixth, meant she narrowly missed out.  

Meanwhile in the C2M, Czech Republic’s Jonas Kaspar and Marek Sindler took top spot after a stunning run.

They had to go through the second heat of qualification to reach the semi-finals but pulled off a near perfect display in the final to fend off France’s Gauthier Klauss and Matthieu Peche, whose silver medal earned them their second overall season title.

"Beating the French on their home course feels pretty great," said Kaspar.

Another French pair, Yves Prigent and Loic Kervella, rounded off the podium as the World Cup Final came to a close. 


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