Canoeing: Tokyo Olympics 2020-2021

Canoeing made its debut at the Olympic Games in 1936 with 9 sprint events only for men. Women's sprint events began the following Games in 1948. Sprint remained the sole Canoe event before slalom made its way to the Olympic Games in 1972. Later, it reemerged as a staple at the Barcelona 1992 Games and remains an integral part of the Olympics. 

Germany is the most decorated country in Olympic Canoeing with a whopping 70 medals (Gold 32, Silver 18, Bronze 20). Birgit Fischer, who claimed a whopping 12 (8 Gold, 4 Silver) of these medals, is the most successful paddler in Olympic history. 

Canoeing at Tokyo Olympics 2020

Though the number of events remains the same as Rio 2016, Canoeing will see event changes for the Tokyo Olympics. The men's canoe double (C-2) will make way for the women's canoe single (C-1) in Slalom. For the sprint events, the men's K-2 200m and the men's C 1 200 m will make way for the women's C-1 200 m and the women's C-2 500 m. 

Top athletes in Canoe at the Tokyo Olympics

In Slalom, three paddlers from the USA have qualified for the Olympics. They are Zachary Lokken, Michal Smolen (both in Men's Slalom and Evy Leibfarth (Women's Slalom). Slalom events' big names will include the likes of Jessica Fox, David Llorente, Luuka Jones, Mallory Franklin, and Jiri Prskavec. 

Read More: USA Announces Men’s Canoeing and Kayak Teams for Slalom and Sprint Events for Tokyo Olympics 2020

In the Sprint, Team USA's sole hope will be Nevin Harrison. She will compete in the women's C-1 event. 

Lisa Carrington will be a name to watch out for in the K-1 200m and the K-1 500m. Her closest challenger on paper will be Danuta Kozák. However, anything can happen at the Olympics and surprises could be on offer. In the men's Sprint events, watch out for Josef Dostal, Liam Heath, and Sebastian Brendel. 

Read More: USA Announces Women’s Canoeing and Kayak Teams for Slalom and Sprint Events – Tokyo Olympics 2020

Types of Canoeing at the Tokyo Olympics 2020-2021

There are two types of Canoeing namely Sprint and Slalom. While the former takes place on still water, the latter takes place on a white water rapids course. 

Competition format

All Canoeing events in Slalom will be in single-seater Canoes and Kayaks. There will be no Quarter-Finals with each event starting with the heats (each paddler gets two rounds with the fastest time being considered) and progressing to the Semi-Final (top 20 in Kayak and 15 in Canoe) and then the Final (top 10). 

Slalom events are individual and do not feature head-to-head competition akin to the sprint races. Instead, an athlete must navigate the vessel through gates either down or upstream with penalty points being awarded for touching the frames or finishing outside the time limit. These points (in the form of seconds) are added to the final time. 

In the Sprint events, proceedings will kick off from the heats with the teams/ individuals advancing to the quarter-final stage before the semi-final and the final. However, in the men's and women's K-4 500 m the teams will advance from the heats to the semi-finals.  

Schedule for Canoeing at Tokyo Olympics 2020

Canoe Slalom events (Men's C-1, Women's K-1) will kick off the Canoeing program at the Olympics from July 25. It will end with four sprint event semi-finals and finals (Men's C-1 1000 m, Women's C-2 500 m, Men's and Women's K-4 500 m events) on August 7.

Sprint Events

Slalom Event 

Venue for Canoeing at the Tokyo Olympics 2020-2021

Canoeing at the Tokyo Olympics 2020-2021 will take place at two separate venues. The sprint will take place at Sea Forest Waterway (also the venue for Rowing) and the Slalom will take place at the Kasai Canoe Slalom Course.