Congratulations to winners in the canoe-pair event at the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Racice 2017-08-28 23:35:00 Vladimir Putin congratulated Alexander Kovalenko and Ivan Shtyl on winning the 200m canoe-pair event at the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Racice. The message reads, in part: “You have brilliantly coped with the task and won the gold medal at 200 metres in the canoe-pair competition. This is not just your big personal victory, but also a worthy contribution to strengthening the remarkable traditions of the national rowing school.”