Portela and Baptista crossed the finish line with a time of 1:37.592, narrowly defeating the neutral athletes (AIN) Volha Khudzenka and Dzmitry Natynchyk in a dramatic final sprint. The bronze medal went to the Czech pair, Josef Dostal and Anezka Paloudova. For the 36-year-old Portela, this victory was particularly meaningful, as she finally secured her long-awaited world title, completing her set of medals after earning bronze in 2009 and silver in 2022.

"It is really special to be here after the Olympics and enjoy this success with Messias, who is a good friend of mine," Portela remarked, expressing her joy at achieving her first World Championships gold. She highlighted the significance of sharing this milestone with Baptista, underscoring the camaraderie that fuelled their triumph.

The Czech duo, who recently got engaged, were also thrilled with their performance. "This is my first senior medal at a World Championships in Canoe Sprint, so I am super excited to win this with my fiancé," Paloudova shared, adding another memorable moment to their eventful year as they prepare for their Olympic debut in Paris 2024.

In other events, AIN paddlers Mikita Borykau and Aleh Yurenia claimed the men’s K2 1000m world title, with Yurenia overcoming illness to secure the gold. Sweden's Joakim Lindberg and Martin Nathell took silver, while Germany's Felix Daniel Frank and Martin Hiller earned bronze.

The women’s canoe single 1000m saw AIN paddler Alena Nazdrova dominate from start to finish, capturing gold. Hungary’s Giada Bragato secured silver, and China’s Xina Jiang took bronze. Reflecting on her performance, Nazdrova acknowledged the challenges posed by the extreme heat, noting that she had to battle both her opponents and the weather.

In the women’s K1 1000m, Hungary's Emese Kohalmi powered to victory, adding a third world title to her impressive career. Kohalmi, who had previously triumphed over the 5000m distance in 2021 and 2022, expressed her pride and affection for the 1000m event, calling it her favourite.

The day’s final gold medal went to AIN paddlers Zakhar Petrov and Ivan Dmitriev in the men’s canoe double 1000m. Despite limited preparation time, the duo managed to fend off a strong challenge from Hungary’s Balazs Adolf and Daniel Fejes, who settled for silver. Ukraine’s Yurii Vandiuk and Pavlo Borsuk completed the podium with bronze. The Championships will conclude today, 25 August, with 15 more world titles up for grabs in non-Olympic events.