A player takes part in the "Exciting Hangzhou" 2023 National Canoe Slalom Spring Championship in Fuyang on April 6. [Photo/hangzhou2022.cn]

On April 6, the "Exciting Hangzhou" 2023 National Canoe Slalom Spring Championship kicked off at the Fuyang Water Sports Centre in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, with 146 athletes from 11 teams nationwide competing over the course of four days, local media reported.

The competitions will hand out 32 gold medals. The championship is also the qualifier for the national training team. Qualified players will be trained for the World Cup, the World Championships and the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Canoe slalom is generally regard as a much more exciting sport than the canoe spring. Athletes need to control the canoe through water gates in the turbulent water. In addition to speed, slalom requires a host of other skills.

The first day of the competition saw two gold medals handed out. The Sichuan Team won the men's and women's single kayak team events in Group B (U19). Men's team member Xia Hailun, 16, has been practicing slalom for more than three years. He said that this year’s Asian Games track is more difficult and challenging than his training.

He struggled with the control of the flow and drop during the race, but his overall performance was good, Xia said. "Before the competition, my teammates and I wanted to compete for the gold medal, and I was happy our dream came true," he said.

A player takes part in the "Exciting Hangzhou" 2023 National Canoe Slalom Spring Championship in Fuyang on April 6. [Photo/hangzhou2022.cn]