POZNAŃ, Poland (August 26–30, 2026) — USA Canoe/Kayak Team’s sprint and paracanoe athletes have concluded a memorable week of racing at the 2026 Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships on Poznań’s Malta Lake, with personal bests, career-first finals, and a world championship title among the highlights.
Poznań is no stranger to wind, but this year’s conditions were unusual even by the venue’s own standards. The first three days of competition brought a steady headwind — an uncommon pattern for the course — before conditions flipped to a strong tailwind on Saturday that produced some of the fastest times of the championships. Sunday’s finals closed out the week in comparatively calm racing conditions.
Beyond the results, it was encouraging to see the USA Canoe/Kayak Team’s sprint and paracanoe athletes competing and supporting one another as one unified team throughout the week in Poznań.
Results Highlights
The USA Canoe/Kayak Team athletes delivered several breakthrough performances on the international stage and featured the most USA athletes competing in paracanoe events ever.
Blake Haxton won his first world championship title, setting a new World Best Time in the process in the Men’s VL2 200m event.
Nevin Harrison posted her best result of the year in Poznań, winning a bronze medal in the Women’s C2 200m event. After a winning a silver medal in a photo finish at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Harrison took 2025 off of racing and has spent the 2026 seasons working her way back toward the top of the sport — making this podium finish a meaningful marker of that progression.
Jack Wallace made history with his first-ever A final, finishing 5th — the best result by an American man in Para Kayak.
Emily Gray posted the best result of her career, placing 5th in the Women’s KL2 200m event, demonstrating remarkable progress considering she’s been racing in paracanoe for only six months. We will be watching for her to reach the podium soon!
Jonas Ecker earned the best World Championships result of his career, a strong signal ahead of the Olympic cycle with the Men’s K1 1000m event is on the Olympic program. Jonas had the fastest time in his heat and in his semifinal before finishing in 5th place in the A Final on Saturday.
The Men’s K4 (Aaron Small, Sean Talbert, Jonas Ecker, and Augustus Cook), advanced to the B final, a result with real weight for Olympic qualification. The USA was the only crew from North or South America to reach the B final in the event.
In the Women’s C2, Audrey Harper and Andreea Ghizila had a solid showing, narrowly missing out on the A-final.
Every athlete on the National Team advanced to at least a B final or A final with the exception of Kayla Woputz paddled very well and advanced to a semifinal — but her event’s progression (Women’s VL2 200m) doesn’t include a B final.
All results from the World Championships can be found here.
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