Andorran Paddler Mònica Doria Exits Augsburg World Cup in Kayak Cross Round of 16

Andorran paddler Mònica Doria concluded her World Cup campaign in Augsburg with elimination in the kayak cross round of 16 on Sunday, after posting ninth place in the women's canoe slalom final and exiting kayak slalom due to a 50-second penalty.

In the kayak cross time trial that morning, Doria recorded 74.74 seconds to qualify for the direct elimination heats. She faced France's Camille Prigent and Angèle Hug, along with Czech Tereza Michalova, but finished outside the top two spots needed to advance, ending her run in the round of 16.

The event marked Doria's second World Cup of the season, following a top-10 finish in Prague the previous weekend, and her third overall. Representing the Andorran Canoe and Kayak Federation and Cadí CK, she competed on one of the circuit's most demanding courses ahead of the World Championships in Oklahoma from July 20-25.

Doria's weekend started on Friday with kayak slalom among 52 entrants. Her initial 105.72 seconds placed her provisionally fourth, but officials reviewed her passage at gate 15—determining it was not completed correctly, with some accounts specifying she missed it outright—and imposed the 50-second penalty. This adjusted her time to 155.72 seconds for 42nd place, 53.19 seconds behind the leader.

She rebounded Saturday in canoe slalom, her strongest discipline, by topping the morning heats. In the final, however, a touch on gate 12 added two seconds to her raw time of 112.89 seconds, resulting in 114.89 for ninth place—6.96 seconds off winner Jessica Fox of Australia (107.93, also penalized). Spain's Klara Olazábal Vilarrubla took silver in 110.27 seconds, with Czech Gabriela Satková third at 110.28.

Afterward, Doria shared mixed emotions. She described a strong canoe showing despite not delivering her ideal final run, called it a solid World Cup overall, and noted one error proved costly in kayak slalom while kayak cross proved challenging against the leaders. "We'll keep working and grinding to improve," she said, adding of the Worlds: "That's the one that counts." Observers pointed to her results, especially in canoe, as signs of rising competitiveness on the international stage.