2018 Awards winner Fernando Pimenta joins impressive list of Sportsmen

23-03-2019

Fernando Pimenta Portugal world paddle awards 2018 canoe kayak sportsman winner world champion olympic

Fernando Pimenta from Portugal is the fifth Sportsman of the Year at the World Paddle Awards after Hank McGregor (2014), Rene Holten Poulsen (2015), Curtis McGrath (2016) and Peter Kauzer (2017).

Fernando about winning the 2018 Sportsman of the year award:

"I'm so happy to win this great award and I feel honoured to join this impressive group of athletes."

Fernando Pimenta at the 2018 World Championships in Portugal.

Major Results

2018: World Champion K1M 1000m, K1M 5000m; European Champion K1M 1000m.
2017: World Champion K1M 5000m, Silver K1M 1000m; European Champion K1M 1000m.

In front of a capacity home crowd, Fernando Pimenta stole the show by winning the K1 1000m at the 2018 Canoe Sprint World Championships in Portugal, becoming the first Portuguese athlete to win a world title in an Olympic class event. To top off his history making regatta, the local superstar powered home in the K1 5000m to win another gold medal in what was a perfect finish to such a successful championship.

As one of the most consistent K1 paddlers internationally, the K1 1000m World Championship title is one that has eluded Fernando Pimenta for years. With three European titles and a silver and a bronze World Championship medal in the event, it was only fitting that he broke through for his maiden win on his home course.

Fernando Pimenta Portugal world paddle awards 2018 canoe kayak sportsman winner world champion olympic

After starting off slowly, Pimenta took the lead through the middle of the race and capitalised on this throughout the last 500m to win in a time of 3:27.66, ahead of Germany’s Max Rendschmidt and Czech’s Joseph Dostal. With the crowd erupting as the local star crossed the finish line, it was clear how much respect the Portuguese people have for Pimenta, and equally how thankful Pimenta is for this immense support.

24 hours later, and still riding on a high, Pimenta again lit up the stadium with his second gold medal of the regatta in the K1 5000m. After controlling the race and virtually leading from start to finish, he held off a strong finish from Denmark’s Rene Holten Poulsen, to win in a time of 21:42.91. As the last race of the championship, this was the perfect way to draw a close to what was a hugely successful regatta from Fernando Pimenta and the Portuguese Canoe Federation.

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