Canoeists João Ribeiro and Messias Baptista became world champions in the K2 500m this Sunday at the championships in Duisburg, Germany, as part of the qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The Portuguese duo, who needed to be in the top six to guarantee their presence at the Games, finished the race in 1.29037 minutes, 47 thousandths of a second faster than the second-place duo formed by Hungarians Bence Nadas and Balint. Copas.
Fernando Pimenta has already secured his place in the K1 1000m Portugal team with a gold medal in Duisburg, while Teresa Portela is waiting for his official status in the K1 500m.
President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa congratulated canoeists João Ribeiro and Messias Batista on their world titles won in the K2 500m at the Championships held in Duisburg, Germany.
“With this gold medal, the Portuguese duo not only guarantee their presence at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, but also further enhance canoeing performance by demonstrating the value and merit of the athletes, the technical teams and the Portuguese Canoe Federation in the project of modality and the national sports that the President of the Republic and the entire Portuguese people are proud of”, can be read in a note published on the website of the President.
The same note notes that, like Fernando Pimenta, who on Saturday became world champion in the K1 1000 meters, João Ribeiro and Messias Batista will soon be received in Belém.