Klara Kneblova won three gold medals at the ICF Junior and U23 Slalom World Championships in Krakow ©ICF

Czech Republic's Klara Kneblova was the outstanding performer with three gold medals at the International Canoe Federation (ICF) Junior and U23 Slalom World Championships in Krakow, Poland.

Czech Republic dominated the competition, winning 14 medals, seven of which were gold.

Kneblova’s gold rush began on the opening day as she joined team mates Klára Mrázková and Bára Galušková to win gold in the junior KI teams with 100.61 and no penalties.

Germany took silver in 104.95 and bronze went to Slovenia with 110.36.

Kneblova won a second gold in the junior C1 with Valentýna Kočířová and Natálie Erlová with a score of 110.69 and no time penalties from silver medallists Slovenia on 116.38 and Germany who took bronze with 122.80.

Her third gold medal came in junior kayak cross, when she defeated silver medallist Nina Pesce-Roue of France. 

Codie Davidson won bronze for Australia. 

"It’s amazing, I have no words to describe it, it’s beautiful and I’m so happy," Kneblova said.

"Today the racing was really long, I was pretty tired on the start line, I was thinking can we go home? And  here I am, happy with how it went." 

No canoeist had previously won three gold medals at the Championships.

Leo Vuitton of France won two of his country's four gold medals ©ICF
Leo Vuitton of France won two of his country's four gold medals ©ICF

Kneblova’s sister Tereza was also a gold medallist in the U23 C1 women's race as she helped Czech Republic win gold with 102.30 and two time penalties. 

France took silver in 106.28 with six time penalties as Italy bagged bronze with 107.49.

Katerina Bekova continued the theme of Czech dominance with victory in the U23 women’s cross. 

She won from Angèle Hug of France and Alena Marx of Switzerland.

In the women’s junior C1, Galušková added to Czech success with gold in 97.98 as Klara Kneblova had to settle for silver this time with 98.44 and bronze was taken by Paulina Pirro of Germany in 98.72.

The only Czech Republic gold medal won by the men went to Lukáš Kratochvíl, Tomáš Větrovský and Filip Jiras in the junior C1 team with 92.79.

Germany won silver in in 94.38 and France got bronze in 95.93.

Meanwhile, Slovakia’s Žiga Lin Hočevar won gold in the men’s C1 junior in 87.13 from Martin Corru of France in 90.39 and Kratochvil third in 92.08.

For Hočevar it was the continuation of a long family tradition - his grandfather competed at the Munich 1972 Olympics and his father had won this title 31 years previously.