The Olympic Games have long been a platform where the world’s finest athletes compete for glory and national pride.
Among the myriad of sports showcased at this prestigious event, canoeing holds a unique place.
Divided into the agility-testing, turbulent waters of canoe slalom and the high-speed, precision-demanding disciplines of canoe sprint, canoeing has been an Olympic fixture since its introduction in 1936 for sprint events and 1972 for slalom events.
Ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics meet the Australian canoe teams and have all your canoeing questions answered…
How is Australia doing at the Paris 2024 Olympics in canoeing?
Four-time Olympian and this year’s flag bearer Jessica Fox has won gold in the women’s K1, making her the first woman to win four medals in this event, in four straight Olympic Games.
Is canoeing still an Olympic sport?
Yes. Canoeing is still an Olympic sport and will be an event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. There are two disciplines of canoeing in Olympic competition: slalom and sprint.
Slalom involves navigating a white-water course with gates, focusing on agility and precision whereas the sprint involves racing in a straight line on flat water, focusing on speed and endurance.
Who’s on the Australian canoe teams for the Olympics this year?
On the canoe slalom team is:
- Jessica Fox
- Noemie Fox
- Tim Anderson
- Tristan Carter
On the canoe sprint team is:
- Ally Clarke
- Aly Bull
- Alyce Wood
- Ella Beere
- Jackson Collins
- Jean van der Westhuyzen
- Noah Havard
- Pierre van der Westhuyzen
- Riley Fitzsimmons
- Thomas Green
- Yale Steinepreis
How far is the canoe sprint in the Olympics?
Women’s races are either over 200m or 500m, while men’s races are either 500m or 1000m.
How many Olympic medals has Australia won previously for canoeing?
Australia currently has 5 Gold medals, 8 Silver medals and 14 Bronze medals for canoeing.
Our 5 Gold medals were won by:
- Clint Robinson at the 1992 Barcelona Games
- Kenneth Wallace at the 2008 Beijing Games
- David W Smith and Jacob Clear at the 2012 London Games
- Murray Stewart and Tate Smith at the 2012 London Games
- Jean van der Westhuyzen, Jessica Fox and Thomas Green at the 2020 Tokyo Games
