The 43rd edition of Budějovice–Prague race is behind us. After a one-year hiatus, the race was won by Tomáš Pavlík (USK Praha), who returned to his former form following a previous injury and left no doubt as to who is the king of this course. His brother Matouš (Sport Zbraslav) finished second, making up for his poor start with strong performances on the second and third days. Martin Kucián (USK Praha) took third place overall. In the K1 50+ category, Pavel Šára (Lokomotiva Braník) took the win, while in the K2 category, the Jech-Šmída duo (Sport Zbraslav) was the fastest. As usual, the sea kayaks were dominated by the ageless Martin Hřivna (KK Olomouc), who left many younger competitors in his wake. In this regard, Pavol Skovajsa’s performance was also remarkable; at 60+, he achieved the same feat and finished second in this boat class. Another interesting note is that Vojtěch Mareš, in the C1 class, completed his fifteenth Budějovice–Prague race, thereby becoming the first to earn the title of “Steel Budman”!

The race was marked by hot weather, and not everyone was able to cope with these conditions. Forty-eight boats started in České Budějovice, and forty-one reached the finish line. The course itself was altered due to the weather. Because of the heat, the use of the long portage Zvírotice–Musík was prohibited. For the first time in a long while, the winner of the race in Budějovice crossed the finish line entirely by water.

The event also includes the popular Slapy-Praha race on Sunday. On Sunday at 11:00 a.m., nearly 100 boats set off from below the Slapy dam. Andrej Antal (VK Tatran Karlova Ves) won this race, with the experienced Tomáš Ježek (USK Praha) coming in second and Čestmír Pokorný (TJ Lokomotiva Nymburk) in third. You can find the complete results at https://budejovicepraha.cz/

The Budějovice–Prague race has long been supported by ANECT, Regulus, TD Synnex, Hiko, EL3 Consulting, and Pádler magazine. Thanks to them, this exceptional event brings together elite marathon kayakers competing for the top spots, as well as recreational paddlers and newcomers eager to test their limits and experience the unique atmosphere of a stage race.