Canoeing at the Paris 2024 Olympics was dominated by Australia’s Jessica Fox and New Zealand’s Lisa Carrington, with the new discipline of kayak cross giving a pointer to where paddling sports may be headed - away from sprint racing towards more whitewater chaos.
Kiwi kayaker Carrington won gold in her three events on the flat water at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, but few of those races sparked the excitement of the canoe and kayak slalom events, especially the four-person slugfests in kayak cross.
Making its debut in Paris, kayak cross pits racers head-to-head on the rapids, with the combination of strong currents, a selection of gates and almost inevitable collisions introducing wild unpredictability that makes it a compelling viewing.
That Jess Fox - by far the most technically proficient and consistent paddler at the Games - could win the kayak and canoe slalom competitions and not even make the final day of the cross shows the level of jeopardy inherent in each race.
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It did not hurt that sister Noemi stepped out of her shadow to take the gold medal in the women’s race, with New Zealand’s Finn Butcher holding off the challenge of British cross king Joe Clarke to guarantee a successful debut for the format.
What followed the whitewater racing was somewhat anti-climactic, despite some close finishes in medal races.
The calm dominance shown by Carrington - her nation’s most successful Olympian of all time - in the sprints was no match for the hair-raising thrills seen on the whitewater course.
Like rowing, canoeing wants to protect its traditions and Olympic athlete quota but to do so it must ensure competitions are compelling and unpredictable. Kayak cross took pole position in Paris for keeping paddling relevant for future generations.
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