Ukrainian canoeist Liudmyla Luzan wins two gold medals at Euro 2026 and sets championship record
Luzan entered the tournament as one of Ukraine's top paddlers. She is the reigning European champion in the women's C1 500m event, a European silver medalist in the women's C2 200m, and an Olympic medalist in both the women's C1 200m and C2 500m disciplines.
Her first gold medal at Euro 2026 came in the women's C1 200m final. Luzan completed the distance in 43.710 seconds, finishing ahead of competitors from Italy and Poland.
2026 European Championships – Women's C1 200m
The victory marked Luzan's first-ever European title in the C1 200m event. She also set a new championship record with her winning time of 43.710 seconds.
Thanks to this success, the Ukrainian athlete claimed her fifth European Championship gold medal and increased her total tally of continental championship medals to 13.
Later, Liudmyla Luzan teamed up with Anastasiia Rybachok in the women's C2 200m final. The Ukrainian duo crossed the finish line first in 43.399 seconds, earning another gold medal for Ukraine.
European Championships 2026 – Women's C2 200m Final:
For the Ukrainian tandem, this was another successful performance on the continental stage. At the 2021 European Championships, Luzan and Rybachok won bronze in this event. Luzan also captured silver in the C2 200m at the 2025 European Championships alongside Iryna Fedoriv.
Her second victory at Euro 2026 marked Liudmyla Luzan's 14th European Championship medal and sixth gold at the continental level.
For Anastasiia Rybachok, it was her fourth European Championship medal and third gold.
Meanwhile, in another final — the women's C4 500m — the Ukrainian crew, which included Liudmyla Luzan, finished sixth.
According to Suspilne Sport, on June 14 the Ukrainian paddler will have another opportunity to add to her medal collection. Luzan is set to compete in the finals of the women's C2 500m and the women's C1 500m.
What is known about Liudmyla Luzan
The 28-year-old native of Ivano-Frankivsk competes for Ukraine's Poltava region.
She is a three-time Olympic medalist, having won silver in the women's canoe double events at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, as well as bronze in the women's canoe single event at Tokyo 2020.
In addition to her successes at the World Championships, Luzan has been crowned European champion four times and has won the European Games twice.
As Rubryka previously reported, at the 2025 World Championships, Ukraine's canoe sprint team leader Liudmyla Luzan claimed her fourth gold medal. On the final day of competition, she triumphed in the women's canoe single 200-meter event.
It was also reported that Ukrainian paddler Liudmyla Luzan set a new world record in the women's canoe single 200 meters, covering the distance in 43.23 seconds at a World Cup stage in Szeged, Hungary.
It is worth recalling that during the 2024 Olympic Games, Anastasiia Rybachok was not allowed to compete in her own boat bearing the inscription "I am Ukrainian," even after the wording had been covered up. As a result, the athlete was forced to use a different boat during the competition.
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15 of June 2026
