Two gold medals for Portugal’s canoeing star Fernando Pimenta in Montreal

Portugal’s Fernando Pimenta capped a superb weekend at the Canoe Sprint World Cup in Montreal, Canada, by winning his second gold medal in as many days and helping Portugal finish the competition with three medals.

After claiming victory in the K1 1,000 metres on Saturday, the Portuguese canoeing star returned to the top of the podium on Sunday by winning the K1 5,000m.

Pimenta crossed the line in 21:57.79, finishing 4.81 seconds ahead of Denmark’s Mads Pedersen, with Spain’s Javier Lopez taking bronze.

“I suffered a lot. I gave my best and I think I put on a great show for the canoeing family,” Pimenta said afterwards.

“This was my second time in Canada and I’m happy to leave with two gold medals,” he added.

The victory marked Pimenta’s 31st gold medal in World Cup competition, further strengthening his status as one of the most successful canoeists in Portuguese history.

Portugal also celebrated a silver medal in the men’s K4 500m, with Gustavo Gonçalves, João Ribeiro, Messias Baptista and Pedro Casinha finishing just 0.13 seconds behind winners Hungary. Australia claimed bronze.

Meanwhile, Bruno Brasileiro finished 12th in the K1 5,000m after experiencing problems with his kayak during the race.

Michael Bruxo

Journalist for the Portugal Resident.