Fernando Pimenta wins fourth K1 1,000m world title in Poznan with record tenth podium

A tenth world podium in Poznan

Portugal's Fernando Pimenta won the gold medal in the men's K1 1,000 metres at the Canoe Sprint World Championships in Poznan, Poland on Saturday, 29 August 2026. Racing from lane four on Lake Malta, the 37-year-old canoeist finished the 1,000-metre course in 3 minutes 24.39 seconds. Pimenta edged out Hungary's Balint Kopasz, who crossed in 3 minutes 24.61 seconds, by 0.22 seconds, while Australia's Thomas Green earned the bronze medal with a time of 3 minutes 25.80 seconds. The victory earned Pimenta his fourth world title in the K1 1,000 metres and his tenth career world championship podium finish at the distance. With four golds, three silvers, and three bronzes, he passed Norway's Knut Holmann, who accumulated nine K1 1,000-metre medals between 1990 and 1998, to become the most medalled paddler in the event's history.

Pathway through heats and semi-finals

Pimenta advanced to the final after winning the sixth qualifying heat ahead of Italy's Andrea Schera and Norway's Amund Vold. In the third semi-final heat, he faced Kopasz, the Tokyo Olympic champion and Paris bronze medallist who entered Poznan as the defending world champion. Pimenta won that semi-final matchup to secure his place in the decider. Before the final, the Portuguese athlete framed his competitive mindset around facing his opponents at full strength.

I like to see them burning, piqued. It is a good sign. It means that they will give their best, which is what I want. I want my opponents in the final to all be at 100%. And for me to also be at 101% or 110%, giving my maximum. Then we will see who is best.

Emotional preparation and race execution

Prior to the start, Pimenta reflected on his career trajectory, having won his first world medal 16 years earlier with a silver in the K2 500 metres alongside Emanuel Silva. He spent time alone on the platform 30 minutes before the race, managing the emotional strain following a bronze-medal result in Milan in 2025. On the water, the athlete from Ponte de Lima led from start to finish across the 1,000-metre course. Pimenta maintained a high stroke rate in the closing 250 metres to repel a late charge from Kopasz. Speaking at the dock immediately after crossing the line, he celebrated regaining the world title.

The grandfather is back. I am very happy, we made history in canoeing, I knew that we would break the medal record if I won, and I want to win more, and more, and more.

National team results and official recognition

The gold marked Portugal's second medal at the 2026 Poznan championships, following a bronze medal in the men's K4 500 metres secured by Gustavo Gonçalves, João Ribeiro, Messias Baptista, and Pedro Casinha. Portuguese President António José Seguro released a formal statement commending Pimenta for his longevity and athletic discipline at 37 years of age. Seguro also congratulated Bernardo Pereira and Sara Sotero for winning the mixed double surfski title at the European Ocean Racing Championships in Brest, France. In Brest, Pereira had also collected the absolute and under-23 European titles in the single surfski division earlier in the competition.