Mallory Franklin cemented her status as one of the world’s best all-round paddlers with a stunning haul of three overall World Cup medals.
The 28-year-old capped her slalom season with overall gold in extreme kayak and individual silvers in both canoe and kayak disciplines.
The Olympic silver medallist held on to podium places despite mixed results in the World Cup Final at La Seu d'Urgell, the Barcelona 1992 canoeing venue.
Franklin said: “Being able to be up on that podium is a testament to my consistency over the year and the level that I’ve been putting in, and even when I’m not at my best still being able to maintain it.
“I’m really happy with ending up on the podium. It’s really cool and I think it says a lot about my consistency this year.”
Franklin finished 21st in the C1 final and was unseated from overall top spot by Czech Tereza Fiserova but stayed second having twice won gold this season.
And ninth place in the K1 was enough to hold on to overall silver by three points from Fiserova, with Franklin having made three of five possible finals this season.
“It’s a bit of an odd one really, in the sense that I obviously didn’t have the best weekend’s racing this weekend or last weekend,” she said.
“It’s cool to end up second but it’s a bit of a weird feeling as it feels like people’s results fell in a good way for me.
Franklin then held her nerve to take a dominant victory in the extreme event, a new addition to the Olympic programme for Paris 2024.
She led from the start to take her first extreme World Cup gold and second medal in the discipline.
On her versatility, Franklin said: “The events require very different things and have their own challenges within them.
“In kayak you need to be really agile and quick and really tight on the poles, whereas C1 is a little bit more fluid, a bit more technical.
“I’ve had a lot of success in C1 but my kayak isn’t that far away, I’m looking to push that forward. I like doing both.”
Meanwhile Olympian Adam Burgess finished fourth overall in the C1 standings having reached four of five possible finals and won bronze in Poland.
Rio Olympic champion Joe Clarke ended the season 10th in the K1 and slipped to seventh in the extreme standings having led coming into the final.
Elsewhere British taekwondo’s ‘Mr Consistent’ Bradly Sinden reached the global podium once again with Grand Prix bronze in Paris.
The Olympic silver medallist quietened Souleyman Alaphilippe’s home crowd in the quarter-finals to bank a medal.
With the event using a best of three rounds format, Sinden narrowly missed out to Zaid Kareem of Jordan in the semi-finals.
Caden Cunningham, Rebecca McGowan and Aaliyah Powell all reached the quarter-finals while Olympic medallists Jade Jones, Bianca Walkden and Lauren Williams saw their hopes end at the last 16 stage.
Sportsbeat 2022