Inside The Games | Olympics | Olympic News, Events, People

 

There are two branches of Olympic canoeing: flatwater (which is sometimes called sprint) and slalom.

 

Flatwater races are held on still water, whereas slalom races take place on fast-moving chutes of water, with paddlers having to navigate through a series of hanging poles called gates.

 

Just to make it slightly more complicated, there are two types of boats, the kayak and the Canadian canoe.

 

The flatwater variety of the sport was introduced to the Olympics in 1936, the races taking place at Grunau on the outskirts of the host city Berlin.

 

British paddlers did not figure in those early days, and even at the London Olympics 12 years later, the country’s best paddler finished last of six in the C1 1000m (C1 just means a canoe with one person in it), almost a minute behind the winner.

 

Britain maintained an indifference to the sport for another 44 years until Gareth Marriott won a silver medal in the C1 slalom in 1992.

 

Slalom canoeing had been introduced to the Games in 1972, but was then left out of the next four Olympics, before returning in 1992.

 

This was particularly galling for Britain’s Richard Fox who won five world titles during slalom canoeing’s absence from the Games.

 

Since Marriott, Britain has won slalom silvers through Paul Ratcliffe and Campbell Walsh. In 2000, Tim Brabants won a bronze in the K1 1000m, Britain’s first flatwater medal.

 

 

Olympic flatwater races are staged over straight 500 metre or 1000m courses with one, two or four paddlers in the boat.

 

In slalom racing, there are only four events, the men’s K1, C1 and C2, and the women’s K1.

 

The kayak is a narrow pointed boat, with a primarily flat top, whereas the Canadian canoe has high sides and an open top.

 

Kayak canoeists propel the boat with a double-bladed paddle in a figure-of-eight motion, the blades alternately hitting the water on either side.

 

Canadian canoeists kneel in the boat and shovel the blade backwards.

 

 

Canoeing is a national obsession in Slovakia and there are no bigger stars than the Hochschorner twins - Peter and Pavol - who in Beijing became the first slalom canoeists to win three Olympic gold medals when they triumphed in the C2 class.

 

The most successful country currently competing in the Olympics, though, is Germany, who have won a total of 55 medals, 25 of them gold, just four behind the total won by the former Soviet Union.

 

 

Competition in canoes began in the mid-19th century. The Royal Canoe Club of London was formed in 1866 and was the first organisation interested in developing the sport. In 1871 the New York Canoe Club was founded. The first women’s competition was organised in Russia.

 

 

When Queen Elizabeth visited Slovakia on a state visit the Beijing Olympic silver medallist, Britain's David Florence, was invited to accompany her because he is so well known there.