OETZ TROPHY

The OETZ TROPHY - Sprint Extreme Kayak World Championships are among the toughest whitewater kayak races in the world. Only the fastest 50 men and 12 women from the qualifying heats will compete against each other in the main event on Saturday, battling it out in an extremely high-level race through the rapids of the Ötztaler Ache.

The Race

The race starts right on the famous Wellerbruecke, from which a spectacular launch ramp plunges into the depths. The competitors are literally catapulted onto the racecourse here and must give it their all immediately. After landing, they head straight into the first blockage, followed by a river-width drop. Once this is overcome, a large pool follows, where a sprint is completed and heart rates are pushed well into the red.

Once this intermediate sprint is behind them, they head straight into the key section, the TNT Cataract. Unlike in previous editions of the OETZ TROPHY, the line now runs through the main current, right down the middle of a fast and blocked section featuring drops, intersections, and stoppers. At the end of this section, the athletes pass the main stage of the spectator area and are cheered on once again. Everything is decided in the next few meters. Only those who hit the ideal line in the subsequent river-width roller and the “Champion Killer”—the final section—have a chance at victory. Once the Champion Killer is mastered, the final sprint through the last pool follows, before the athletes are greeted by the other competitors at the finish line.