Joe Clarke MBE opened the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in Oklahoma City with a gold medal in the men's kayak cross, bouncing back from a poor performance the previous day. The win is significant as the venue will also host canoe slalom at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and it extends the 33-year-old's remarkable record in the sport, having previously taken Olympic kayak cross silver in Paris.

Clarke won the individual time trial in 46.54 seconds, describing the turnaround as fantastic given he had struggled with the kayak cross the day before and was also carrying a neck niggle. It marks his seventh world title across all events, an improvement on the silver he won in the same discipline at Penrith last year. Elsewhere, Britain's Lois Leaver, 24, claimed her first senior World Championship medal with bronze in the women's kayak cross, finishing just 0.12 seconds behind gold in 51.17 seconds — her best career result.