The Paris 2024 Olympics was the largest sporting event this summer with 184 countries competing in 329 events in just under three weeks, five of which involved kayaking or canoeing, including kayaking, canoeing, canoe sprint, canoe slalom, and canoe-cross - a new event making its first appearance at the Olympic Games.
The Beginning
The first time canoeing made an appearance at the Olympics it was recognised as canadian-canoeing, and was a demonstration of the sport in the 1924 Paris games, with the Paris 2024 Olympics marking 100 years since its introduction. Later, the 1936 Berlin games saw the introduction of kayak flatwater sprint and canoe flatwater sprint and between 1936-56, there was a 10,000m race. It wasn’t until 1972 that the slalom sprint was introduced as an event at the games.
Paris 2024
The Paris 2024 Olympics saw the introduction of kayak-cross, an event that intensifies all aspects of competitive kayaking and was previously known as ‘extreme slalom’. Kayak-cross is the ultimate challenge for kayakers, beginning with the competitors being dropped from a 2m platform into the whitewater where they face a time-trial that dictates who they play in the head-to-head round. Team GB’s very own Joe Clarke brought home silver in this event. The other paddle sport events that took place at Paris 2024 were sprint and slalom, which were separate events for both canoeing and kayaking. Team GB’s Kimberley woods brought home a bronze medal in canoe sprint and Adam Burgess achieved a silver medal in Canoe slalom.
Notable Athletes
The most successful paddler in Olympic history is Birgit Fischer, a German kayaker who struck gold 8 times and silver 4 for her country. Her dominance reigned from 1980-2004, proving her world-class longevity. The most notable Olympian in the early stages of paddle sports at the Olympics was Gert Fredreksson, a Swedish paddler who won 6 gold medals and one bronze medal between 1948-1969, demonstrating excellence in both the 1,000m and 10,000m races, proving his versatility on the waters. Fredriksson achieved 56 top finishes in the individual events, 35 top finishes in the relay events, and three top finishes in the pairs events.
How can you get out there?
Over the last 100 years, paddle sports have become more prominent in the Olympics, highlighting the rapid growth of kayaking and canoeing in the mainstream and proving why they are some of the most entertaining sports. With the introduction of kayak-cross, the future's looking bright for paddle sports, as the demand is increasing and more people are tuning in. Although inflatable kayaks are by no means compatible with the competitive kayaks , they are a means to finding out if it’s for you or at least a very good way to getting fit (read more about the health benefits here). We have a range of kayaks from Aquaglide, Spinera and Sandbanks Style.