- Lilik and Hegge in the final of kayak cross
Elena Lilik and Noah Hegge from Augsburg advanced to the final of the Olympic debut of the new discipline, kayak cross. Although the 25-year-old, who had previously won silver in the canoe, initially came in fourth in the semi-finals, her rivals Carole Diane Bouzidi from Algeria and New Zealand's Luuka Jones made a mistake, allowing Lilik to advance after a review. Hegge then paddled his way into the semi-finals as the top quarter-finalist.
Lilik previously shone in the quarter-finals, navigating the course with eight water-filled gates at the Stade nautique de Vaires-sur-Marne, finishing in first place. She also eliminated French favorite Camille Prigent, who cried in front of over 10,000 spectators.
There were more tears from reigning Olympic champion Ricarda Funk, who missed out on a medal in the kayak after a mistake at the third-to-last gate. In her quarter-final, she had a slow start and couldn't make up the gap at the first upstream gate, colliding with Spain's Maialen Chourraut and taking a point deduction for not correctly navigating a gate, finishing fourth. "The whole week was brutal, every day was painful. That's kayak cross, it's a brutal sport," Funk said.
Elena Lilik celebrated her success in Paris, securing first place in the kayak cross semifinals after her rivals' mistakes. In the Olympic Games, many athletes, including reigning champion Ricarda Funk, encountered tough challenges in Paris.
