Canoeing is a sport featuring small narrow boats that comprises two main Olympic disciplines (sprint and slalom) and in two formats (canoe or kayak).

Canoe sprint features canoe or kayak races in a straight line over various set distances on flat, calm water.

In canoeing, the paddler uses a single-bladed paddle to propel the boat forward and does so on one side of the boat only, and while kneeling on one knee. In kayaking, the paddler sits in the boat and uses a double-bladed paddle – one blade alternatively on each side of the boat.

Tokyo 2020 Events

When: Monday 3rd August to Saturday 8th August 2020
Where: Sea Forest Waterway
The programme consists of 12 events (6 Men's and 6 Women's)

Finals are contested by eight boats, with heats used to determine who qualifies. In larger fields, semi-finals are used as an intermediate step, bringing together the fastest from the heats to race for the eight final spots. In smaller fields, the fastest boats from the heats qualify directly to the final, with semi-finals used as a second chance for the next fastest.

New Zealand have got a strong performer in Lisa Carrington who continues a tradition of individual success in New Zealand canoe racing that goes back to the 1980s. She’s had major success since the gold medal in London 2012 by dominating the K1 200 event and is now also dominating the K1 500 event.

The Stars of Canoe Sprint

New Zealand’s Lisa Carrington is the two time Olympic Gold medalist in the K1-200m event, from both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games.  Lisa also claimed the bronze medal in the K1-500m at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. 

Lisa has teamed up with experienced paddlers Kayla Imrie, Aimee Fisher and Caitlin Ryan in the K4-500m. At the recent ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup in Poland, the team claimed Gold, adding to her Lisa's two other Gold medals in the K1-200m and K1-500m at the same event.

Did you know?

• The former Soviet Union still tops the Olympic medal tables for canoeing with 29 gold medals, despite not competing since 1988.
• During a canoe sprint event, the distance between canoes must be at least 5m to avoid turbulence from one boat affecting another.
• Modern boats are usually made of carbon fibre or aramid fibre (eg, Kevlar) with epoxy resin.
• At the Olympics the fastest two qualifiers occupy lanes four and five.
• Canoe racing has been one of New Zealand’s most productive Olympic sports, with six golds, two silvers and one bronze medal.
• New Zealand’s two most successful Olympians are both kayakers. Ian Fergusson won four golds and one silver in canoe sprint events over two Olympics (1984 and 1988), while Paul MacDonald won three golds, a silver and a bronze at the same Olympiads.

Canoe Sprint terminology

C1/K1, K2, K4 - Canoe events are notated by the letter C or K to indicate canoe or kayak followed by the number of paddlers per boat (eg, C1 is an individual canoe event, K4 is a four-person kayak event). Sprint event classifications are always followed with the distance (eg, K1-500m is a sprint event for single person-kayaks over 500m, K1 indicates a slalom event for single-person kayaks).
Blade: The wide part of a paddle which passes through the water. The canoe paddler uses a paddle that has one flat blade on one end of the paddle shaft, whereas a kayak paddle uses a paddle with a blade at each end.
Bowman: A paddler who kneels or sits in the forward position of a canoe or kayak
Canoe: A light, narrow, open boat propelled by one, two or four paddlers using single-bladed paddles, from a kneeling position in sprint events, seated in slalom.
5m rule: A rule prohibiting any boat from coming within 5m of the boat positioned next to it, thereby preventing it from gaining the advantage of riding the other boat’s wash (being pulled along by the rough water left behind a boat).
Flatwater: Lake water or a slow-moving river current with no rapids. Canoe sprint events are raced within lanes on flatwater.
Sternsman: A paddler who kneels or sits in the back position of a canoe or kayak.

Timeline

Mid-1900s Canoe sport competitions began.
1866 The Royal Canoe Club of London was formed and was the first organisation interested in developing the sport.
1871 The New York Canoe Club was founded.
1890s Canoe sport was popular all over the European continent.
1924 Olympic Games in Paris – flatwater canoeing featured as a demonstration sport.
1936 Canoe sprints entered the Olympics in Berlin – its events have changed and adapted in order to improve its overall standing and follow current trends and boat technological advances.
1948 Olympic Games in London – women competed for the first time, in the kayak event only.
1972 Olympics in Munich – the first time New Zealand competed in this discipline, sending two males for the K1-1000m event.
2012 Olympic Games in London – the three men’s flatwater 500m events were replaced by 200m events.