When paddling events come to the Olympics next year in Paris, viewers will get a look at a few events they’re not too accustomed to seeing. Three events that have only been at two Olympics between them and another that has been dominated by just two countries in its 10-year history will make for an intriguing Games, historically dominated by conventional whitewater slalom and sprinting events.
The men’s K4 500 and the women’s C2 500 will both be making their second Olympic appearance in France, while the men’s C2 500 will be making its Games return after dropping off the program after 2008.
Ten times the women’s K4 500 has been contested at the Olympic Games. Romania won the first gold in 1984, and since then only Germany and Hungary have finished on top of the podium.
The Hungarians have won the past three gold. Before that, Germany strung together four Olympic titles in a row. Their domination is further underlined by the fact Hungary has also won four silver, while Germany has won three. Since Rio, Germany has fallen away. Poland is now one of the form crews. Can they end a nine-Games run by the Hungarians and the Germans?
The men’s K4 500 made its Olympic debut in Tokyo, having been reduced from 1000 meters. The shortening of the distance made no difference to the Germans, who won their second consecutive K4 gold and their fourth overall. Like the women, Hungary has also enjoyed the K4 competitions, winning three gold in the 15 games where it has been contested. But the Hungarians missed a medal at the past two Olympics. The favourites for Paris will include Spain, Germany and Lithuania, the surprise performer so far in 2023.
Australia and New Zealand, with one gold each, are the only non-Europeans to ever win an Olympic men’s K4 medal.
After appearing in all 20 Olympic Games since canoe sprint made its debut, the men’s C2 will be reduced from 1000 to 500 in Paris. Romania, Germany and the Soviet Union had a stranglehold on the 1000-meter event, each winning five gold. But in Tokyo Cuba became the first non-European country to win gold. China took the silver, while Germany had to settle for a bronze.
Federations have been trying frantically to find the best combinations for the new C2 distance. The strong Spanish team has impressed since Tokyo, while Italy and Poland have also emerged as serious medal contenders. The women’s C2 500 made its Olympic debut in Tokyo, and its hard at this stage not to see the reigning Olympic champions defending their title in Paris.
The Chinese combination of Sun Mengya and Xu Shixiao were very impressive in Japan, and have not been beaten since. The minor medalists from Tokyo, Ukraine and Canada, have both undergone personnel changes since the last Olympics, throwing the race for minor medals wide open.