Words:
James ‘Ibbo’ Ibbotson

Photos: Peter Holcombe

This world championship was different for me. After 10 years of representing Great Britain in the C1 at these events, I had retired and moved to the other side of the table to be a judge. This allowed me to enjoy the event without the pressures of competing and be more objective about it all. And what a year to do this!

ICF kayak freestyle World Championships 2025

With the sixth driest spring since the 1880s, the Isar River in Plattling, Germany, was looking thirsty. Rocks that usually hid beneath the waves were exposed, and the world-class feature that was hosting the world championships was looking shallow. But that didn’t stop over 250 paddlers from all around the world from flocking to the feature to try and win themselves some medals. 

With the sixth driest spring since the 1880s, the Isar River in Plattling, Germany, was looking thirsty. Rocks that usually hid beneath the waves were exposed, and the world-class feature that was hosting the world championships was looking shallow. But that didn’t stop over 250 paddlers from all around the world from flocking to the feature to try and win themselves some medals.

In the build-up to the event, river levels were the hot topic. With worries of breaking boats, hitting heads, or snapping paddles, the organisers had a tough job. It was decided that if the river were flowing below 160cm, the event would move to the feature at the far side of the river, as it posed a lower risk to paddlers and their kit. This would be assessed before each heat, and adjustments would be made as needed. It was also understood that if the river levels dropped to a certain level, the event might be cancelled, with the last round’s results being final. So paddle like it’s your final!

Monday
After some much-needed rain upstream, day one had a good amount of water, so the women’s K1 kicked the event off. Forty-four women took to the water, aiming to make the top 20 who would progress to the quarter finals. Standout performances came from the legendary Ottilie Robinson-Shaw, who posted a score that was almost double that of Anne Sommeraur, who was in second place behind her. Ottilie’s teammates, Becky Green, Emma Witherford, and Sienna Edwards, also made the cut for the quarter finals.

Next up was the men’s squirt class. The river level didn’t affect these guys too much as they were paddling in the eddy, only using the flow for their mystery moves. It was Britain’s Sam Wilson who stormed into an early lead, showing his determination to make this his event. He broke the ICF record with an incredible 2793-point ride, cementing himself in the top spot, 1100 points ahead of Alex Edwards in second place. It is also worth noting that Noah Pedersen of Norway made it through to the semi-finals in 10th place, no mean feat at only 14 and the event’s youngest paddler!

Women’s squirt followed them up. India’s first-ever squirt boat competitor was grinning ear to ear throughout her two runs, spinning round to get some points on the board. But once again, Ottilie stepped up, looking to show exactly what she was capable of. Delivering an amazing 2380-point ride, she claimed the first-place position, moving into the semi-finals.

Rounding the day off were the OC1 prelims. These big boats, which have to hold up to 40 litres of water with the paddler, are still capable of throwing some big moves. Two solid rides from Ireland’s Eoghan Kelly saw him cruise into the lead, just ahead of Jordan Poffenberger, who is no stranger to world championship success in this event.

Tuesday
Day two had slightly lower water levels, but they were still good enough to run the event on the river left, as scheduled. The K1 men kicked the day off, with what stacked up to be a very tough competition for the 20 places in the quarter finals. GB team veteran Alan Ward showed his experience, laying down just enough moves to move him through to the semi-finals in 20th position. A bit further up the scoreboard were his teammates Ben Higson and Gav Barker, all making it through to the quarter-finals. A few paddlers fell foul of the shallower levels, hitting the rocks and missing tricks. Some of the bigger names to miss the quarter-final cut included Harry Price, Nick Troutman, Eric Jackson, and Visa Rahkola. In contrast, the French youngster Tom Dolle took the top spot.

Now it was the turn of the junior K1 women, looking to make their top 10 semi-final cut. Defending world champion Makinley Kate Hargrove (USA) showed why she is world champion, taking the top spot with a 1000-point combined score, some 680 points clear of Issie Wormall (GBR) in second place. It is also worth noting that Martha Biyinzika of Uganda became the country’s first-ever junior woman to compete on the freestyle world stage.

Junior men took to the wave next, again chasing the top 10 spots for the semi-finals. Reigning European Champion, Jonas Hermann (Austria), had two strong rides to give him the first-place position. Great Britain’s Jamie Rowland and proud Welshman Math Craddock also made the cut to the semi-finals.

C1 women finished the day off, again looking to secure their place in the semi-finals. Defending world champion Ottilie Robinson-Shaw (GBR) got off to a rocky start but showed her composure to come back with a huge second run and top the leaderboard. Local paddler Anica Schacher (Germany) was hot on her heels, though, coming in second place. And Austria’s Jasmin Stangl-Brachnik rounded off the top three spots in third.

Wednesday
The river levels remained stable for a third day, allowing the event to proceed on the river’s left bank again. And it was finally the turn of the C1 men, in my non-biased opinion, the best class. Sebastian Nelle (Germany) demonstrated how his hours of training on the feature were to his advantage, pulling off a huge first ride of 776 points (enough to put him straight through in third place!). He backed it up with another great run to move into the semi-finals in first place. Brits Matt Stephenson and Harry Price both posted solid scores, advancing them to the semi-finals as well.

Our Master’s categories followed, with the men and women split into three age groups each: 40+, 50+, and 60+. It was a great display of paddling from everyone, with historic world champions taking to the water alongside supportive parents whose turn it was to shine. For the Brits, all eyes were on Lissette Nixon in the women’s, placing 12th overall, and Gav Barker, who placed second in the men’s 40+.

The semi-finals came next, with the top 10 men and women vying for the top five places to advance to the finals. The women kicked the show off with Britain’s young paddler Sophie Macken, who, at only 16 years old, managed to paddle her way to 7th place against the seniors. Her teammates, Tamsyn McConchie and Ottilie Robins-Shaw, cruised into the final in second and first place, respectively. The three American paddlers, Rose, Sophie, and Anna, rounded off the top five, making for an exciting final.

In the men’s, Britain’s Sam Wilson stepped up his game again, breaking his own ICF record from earlier that week with a HUGE 2940 point ride. This rocketed him into the final in first position. Moving through to the finals were also Downtime Hero Taft Sibley (USA), hometown favourite Finn Krossig (Germany), and surface technician Aled Edwards (GBR).

Thursday
The C1 women were set to kick off the day, but as the river levels had dropped below the agreed-upon 160cm, the competition moved to the river right feature. However, just as they were lining up for their semi-final runs, a protest was submitted to the organisers with a safety concern at the current river level. Due to this, the C1 women’s race was postponed to give the jury time to discuss the protest and make a decision. It was decided that the river levels were safe; however, a hard cutoff level was established and agreed upon by the team leaders. This process, however, took an hour or so, so the C1 woman was moved to the following day.

So the C1 men were the first paddlers to compete on river right, and they made it look like it was meant to be. Matt Stephenson (GBR) cartwheeled his way straight to the top spot, linking tricks together. The flying Frenchman, Tom Dolle moved up the leaderboard and into second place with a set of aerial moves. Finally, Harry Price managed to bump his way up to Thursday’s place, landing him in the final.

The women’s K1 quarter finals were next up, cutting the remaining 20 paddlers down to 10. With three runs and their best two counting, it was time to go big. Although you still saw the occasional rock slam as paddlers went hard for tricks, a bigger variety of moves was seen. Keeping hold of her top spot was Ottilie Robinson-Shaw, closely followed by Poland’s Zofia Tula and Britain’s Becky Green. They could breathe a sigh of relief as they made the semi-final cut.

Men’s quarter-finals were next on the wave. Tim Rees of Germany, the 2023 junior world champion, was eager to make his mark in the senior competition. He stormed in with a 1300 point ride, and looked good to take the round win. But then France’s Tom Dolle brought the big guns with a monstrous 1638-point ride to secure that first place. Not letting the youngsters have all the fun, Gav Barker showed what a cool and calm approach can do, paddling his way into third.

The highlight of the day came in the form of the squirt boating finals. The men took to the eddy first, and what a final it was! Alex Edwards took an early lead with his first run, then extended it on his second and third runs. However, as the last paddler to go, Sam Wilson knew exactly what he needed to do: match or beat his previous ICF record score. His third and final run was a thing of beauty, textbook surface moves and a lengthy mystery move.

You could chew on the tension as he sat and waited for his score to come in, shown live on the jumbotron. It edged up slowly as the judges added bonuses and adjusted moves. The only thing left to add was his mystery score. Suddenly it shot up to 3246, another ICF record and the world championship gold! The crowd burst into cheers as Sam shed a tear and hugged his girlfriend. What a moment! Alex secured his fifth world championship silver, and Taft Sibly the bronze.

What a show to follow, but the women certainly stepped up to the challenge. From run one, Ottilie demonstrated her mastery of the squirt boat, linking super clean heli bonuses to big scoring tricks. Then, to top it off, she managed to drop a mystery and multiply her score. However, hot on her heels was teammate Tamsyn McConchie, who used a different run plan every ride. This exciting plan earned her a score to be proud of, accompanied by a silver medal.

The 2023 world champion, and mystery extraordinaire, Rose Wall (USA) managed to pull off one of the longest mystery moves of the women’s competition, bringing her close to retaining her title. However, it was a few seconds short of a gold, but was worthy of a bronze medal. It was Ottilie who took a very well-deserved gold medal, regaining the title she first got in 2022.

It was amazing to see the two young Brits celebrating their gold medals together, showing that Britain is becoming a powerhouse of squirt boating.

Friday
Friday brought the lowest river levels of the competition, running below the 150 cm cutoff mark. So the organisers made the tough call to put each category on standby, hoping the levels would rise throughout the day.

Unfortunately, only one category managed to compete. The cadets’ class took to the water to have a flatwater competition, and it went off. The grandstands were packed to watch these kids who aren’t old enough for the official junior class throwdown. Giving them their first taste of the world championship stage, they had two 45-second runs, with live scoring, full media coverage, and the chief judge’s thumbs up (that was me!).

It was super impressive to see some of the creative moves they came up with, from attempting clean flatwater airscrews to executing deliciously tricky loops. It was Felix Ramsayer, the hometown hero from Germany, who blew the judges away and took the gold. Norway’s Alicia Pedersen gave the boys a run for their money, coming 4th overall, but taking the win for the girls. It’s exciting to see what the future of freestyle can do!

In the afternoon, once it was confirmed that no more paddling would take place, the eddy filled up with people swimming, paddlers trying out squirt boating, and generally enjoying the water. It was great to see that despite the paddling being cancelled, the community made the most of the weather and water on offer to have a great time.

Saturday
Saturday was supposed to be finals day, but instead it started with a message from Chief Judge Charlie, explaining that the water level was far too low, so all paddling was cancelled for the day. That just left the medal ceremony to take place.

There were cheers, confetti cannons, and bottles of fizz as we celebrated all the medalists.