Britain's Joe Clarke MBE secured a gold medal on the opening day of the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in Oklahoma City, winning the men's kayak cross event. The 33-year-old athlete clocked a winning time of 46.54 seconds at the venue slated for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Clarke expressed his elation, noting a recent challenge with a neck tweak and a difficult kayak cross performance the previous day. "To turn it around within 16 hours is fantastic and a great start to the competition," he stated. This victory adds to his impressive record, bringing his total World Championship titles across all events to seven, following a silver medal in the same discipline last year.

In the women's kayak cross individual, Lois Leaver, aged 24, earned her first senior World Championship medal, a bronze. She finished a mere 0.12 seconds behind the gold medalist, with a time of 51.17 seconds, marking her best career result.