Anatole Delassus was one of three French paddlers to top qualifying today at the ICF Junior and Under-23 Canoe Slalom World Championships ©Nina Jelenc/ICF

French paddlers Romane Prigent, Anatole Delassus and Tanguy Addison appear to be closing in on gold after producing impressive heat runs in hot conditions on the second day of the International Canoe Federation (ICF) Junior and Under-23 Canoe Slalom World Championships at Ljubljana in Slovenia.

Spain’s Miquel Trave was the only non-French qualifying winner as he posted the fastest time in the men’s under-23 canoe slalom on a Tacen slalom course renowned as one of the toughest in the world.

Thirty years after his father won World Championship gold on the same course, 18-year-old Addison qualified fastest in the men’s junior C1 heats.

"Before the run I felt a little bit stressed, but during the run it felt so good, so clean," Addison told ICF.

"I think I can go faster.

"My father is watching in the tribune, it’s so good to be racing here at the same place where he won 30 years ago".

Prigent helped the French K1 under-23 team successfully defend its title yesterday, and secured a World Cup gold on the same course last year.

Romane Prigent was one of three French paddlers to top qualifying today at the ICF Junior and Under-23 Canoe Slalom World Championships ©Nina Jelenc/ICF
Romane Prigent was one of three French paddlers to top qualifying today at the ICF Junior and Under-23 Canoe Slalom World Championships ©Nina Jelenc/ICF

"It’s a short run here in Tacen, but I did a clean run, with maybe a couple of small mistakes, but I think it was a good one," Prigent said.

"I love this course, I love the way we can paddle with the water, I think it’s really nice".

Delassus, who won the K1 junior world title in Krakow in 2019, showed he is ready to take on the older paddlers with an error-free run in the under-23 qualifiers.

"I felt good on the water, my run was very good, but I hope I’ve kept my best run for Friday", Delassus said.

Trave is one of the few male paddlers in the world who competes in both the K1 and the C1.

This morning he qualified comfortably for the semi-finals in the under-23 K1 and then set the fastest time in the C1 in the afternoon.

"I felt really good in the water, a bit nervous maybe because it’s been two years without a World Championships, so it was good to feel the start line again," Trave said.

"I don’t feel any pressure, I obviously want to get another world title, so I will fight for it. It’s not easy, there are 10 or 12 people who can win this World Championship, so it is time to fight, time to focus on the semi-finals."

The ICF Junior and Under-23 Canoe Slalom World Championships continue tomorrow with racing in men’s and women’s junior kayak, and the women’s junior and under-23 canoe.

Three crews contested the junior mixed canoe final, with gold going to Russia's Marina Novysh and Dmitri Shestakov.