The primary and secondary students, mostly members of the Bendigo Canoe Club, won about 20 medals across two days of action on the Maribyrnong River near Essendon.

Catholic College Bendigo won the trophies for best school with less than 10 participants for both the sprint races on Saturday and marathon events on Sunday.

Sean Jones from CCB was outstanding, winning gold in the under-14 K1 and TK1 sprints and K1 marathon, then teaming with Baydn Murphy to claim silver in the K2 sprint.

Murphy, from St Therese's, took out the under-12 TK2 mixed sprint and was also second in the TK1 sprint and TK1 marathon.

CCB pair Lucas Teasdale and Ben McLean teamed up for second place in the under-18 K2 marathon, and youngster Lachlan Mann finished third in the under-12 TK1 sprint.

Australian under-23 squad member Bec Mann won the open K1 sprint and the K2 sprint with fellow CCB pupil Maddy Jones, who scored another gold in the under-18 K2 marathon and a bronze in the K1 marathon.

Another international representative - Bendigo Senior Secondary's Eliza Singleton - finished with silver in the under-18 TK1 and C1 sprints.

Newcomer Emily Strahan-Ferrie, from St Kilian's, came first in the under-12 TK2 and second in the TK1.

Girton Grammar student Imogen Douglass also picked up two medals - bronze in the under-14 K1 marathon and K1 sprint.