Mònica Doria Ends World Cup Debut in Prague with 19th in Kayak Cross

Mònica Doria wrapped up her World Cup debut in Prague with a 19th-place finish in kayak cross on Sunday, after placing 17th in K1 heats on Friday and 10th in C1 on Saturday.

The Andorran paddler, competing for the Andorran Canoe and Kayak Federation (FACC) and Cadí CK, opened her season at the second calendar stop—having skipped the Tacen opener to prioritize Olympic-qualifying events—with a 17th in K1. Starting with bib 13, she clocked 122.28 seconds plus four seconds in penalties for touches at gates 17 and 22. This left her 10.13 seconds behind fastest qualifier Camille Prigent of France and 2.66 seconds off 12th-placed Sona Stanovska, the last spot for the medal final.

Doria advanced to a stronger showing in C1, ending 10th at 127.89 seconds with six seconds added for touches at gates 12, 17, and 18. She passed ninth at the first split and eighth at the second, trailing winner Jessica Fox of Australia—121.01 seconds—by 12.88 seconds in a tight field.

In kayak cross, Doria posted 70.92 seconds in time trials for 19th, 3.20 seconds off the lead, advancing to the first direct round. She finished second in her heat behind France's Marjorie Delassus, ahead of Slovenia's Lea Novak and the Netherlands' Lena Teunissen, to reach the quarterfinals. There, she placed fourth behind Delassus, USA's Evy Leibfarth, and Australia's Noemie Fox, with only the top two advancing. Czech athlete Katerina Bekova won gold.

The European champion and Olympic diploma holder had called Prague one of her favourite courses ahead of the non-qualifying event. Her coach, Cristian Tobio, saw the races as key for building rhythm toward the World Championships. Doria treated the weekend as a solid step in sharpening her form.