Countdown to the III ABANCA Ciutat de Palma Canoeing Trophy

Ten Olympic medals and more than 300 international podiums highlight the record of the participants in the III Abanca Ciutat de Palma Trophy, organized by the Real Club Náutico de Palma.

The III ABANCA Ciutat de Palma Canoeing Trophy will bring together a selection of Olympic, world, and European champions who account for over 300 international medals this Saturday, September 19th, at the Parc de la Mar. Organized by the Real Club Náutico de Palma (RCNP), this year's event adds canoeing (canoe discipline) to the program and expands team rosters to six athletes each: two male kayakists, two female kayakists, one male canoeist, and one female canoeist.

The event was presented today at noon, Thursday, September 17th, at the Real Club Náutico de Palma, with three-time Olympic medalist Marcus Cooper and world champion María dels Àngels Moreno in attendance, alongside RCNP president Rafael Gil, club director Manu Fraga, trophy coordinator Carlos Borrás, and Balearic Canoeing Federation vice-president José Riudavets.

Rafael Gil recalled that the club decided three seasons ago to launch the competition a year ahead of schedule upon learning about the project. "I was certain it would be a success because it has all the right ingredients: the organizational experience of the RCNP, a spectacular setting, and the best paddlers in the world," he stated. The RCNP president noted that the venue, at the foot of Palma Cathedral, makes the trophy "an event impossible to replicate anywhere else and therefore unique," as well as “an example of our club's commitment to the city.”

Marcus Cooper highlighted the unique nature of an event that allows international stars, young athletes, and amateurs to share the same water. "This event is no longer just about Olympians competing against each other in a fun format; we also share it and encourage youngsters and amateurs to sign up and race against us," he explained. The Olympic champion put himself in the shoes of the youngest participants, recalling what it would have meant when he started out "to have the chance to compete alongside my idols," even sharing a boat as teammates.

María dels Àngels Moreno expressed her delight regarding the inclusion of the canoe discipline. "I am very happy that they thought of us and that we get to compete at the Parc de la Mar," she noted. The Majorcan paddler also highlighted the recreational spirit of the event, though she made it clear that the level of competition keeps sporting ambition high: “Everyone here is an elite athlete and wants to win. I'm eager to enjoy myself, but also to be up front and take the victory.”

José Riudavets praised the RCNP's efforts to consolidate the event in just three editions and valued the addition of canoeing as a recognition of the top Balearic figures competing in the discipline.

Marcus Cooper will lead Team Gráficas Salabert. The Majorcan, Olympic champion in Rio 2016 and silver and bronze medalist in Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, will compete alongside Portugal's João Ribeiro, a three-time world champion. Sara Ouzande and Carol García will take the women's kayak spots, while Pablo Martínez and Claudia Couto will represent the canoe entries.

Team Coral Boats will feature the defending Trophy champions: Portugal's Messias Baptista, winner of four world titles over the last three years, and Hungary's Zsóka Csikós, world K1 1,000m champion. Alberto Llera and Katrine Jensen complete the kayak selection. Competing in canoe will be Majorcan Olympic medalist Joan Antoni Moreno and Viktoria Yarchevska, U23 world and European champion alongside María dels Àngels Moreno.

Carlos Arévalo will lead Team Trui. The two-time Olympic medalist will share a boat with Denmark's Victor Aasmul, Germany's Lena Röhlings, Daniela García, Paris bronze medalist Diego Domínguez, and Majorcan María dels Àngels Moreno, triple European champion in 2025.

The fourth Elite team will compete under the RCNP banner and includes local paddler Alex Graneri, one of the top young talents in the Spanish team, and Iker Fernández, making his senior debut after concluding his junior career. Joining them will be two-time Olympic medalist Rodrigo Germade, Emily Lewis, Nerea García, and Antía Jácome, who earned a diploma in Tokyo and two in Paris.

The remaining four teams have assigned canoe pairs and will complete their rosters with the top male and female kayakists from the Open categories.

MAPFRE will feature Italian Carlo Tacchini, Paris Olympic silver medalist, and Hungary's Ágnes Kiss; Quirón, Manuel Fontán and Chloé Nicot; Eulen, Germany's Conrad-Robin Scheibner and Elena Gómez-Millán; and Europcar, Pablo Graña and Adriana Paniagua.

This format allows Open participants to earn a spot in the Elite stage and compete alongside top international figures. Each team will consist of six paddlers, with male and female representation in both kayak and canoe. Top finishers in the open categories will qualify for the main event, creating a roster that combines invited stars and Open qualifiers.

The lineup features six Olympic medalists combining for ten Olympic medals: Cooper (3), Arévalo (2), Germade (2), with Diego Domínguez, Joan Antoni Moreno, and Tacchini adding one each. They are joined by world champions such as Baptista, Csikós, Ribeiro, and Ouzande, as well as athletes already targeting the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

The lake at Parc de la Mar, located in Palma's historic center, serves as one of the event's main attractions. Free access to the venue will allow spectators to watch the races from just meters away, fulfilling the organizers' goal of bringing elite canoeing closer to the public.

The competition will be held on a sprint course with the start and finish at the same point, featuring a turning buoy on each heat for kayaks. Carlos Borrás, RCNP coach and event coordinator, compares the setup to "an urban Formula 1 circuit, but with some of the best paddlers in the world." For canoes, he teased a sprint format with a surprise element yet to be revealed. The schedule also includes mixed relays and tandem races pairing Olympic athletes with rising talents.

Balearic public broadcaster IB3 will stream the Elite competition live from 3:40 PM to 6:00 PM. However, activities at Parc de la Mar will begin at 10:00 AM with the Open qualifying heats and youth races.

The III Abanca Ciutat de Palma Canoeing Trophy is organized by the RCNP with support from the Palma City Council, in collaboration with Paddle Games and the Spanish and Balearic canoeing federations.