With Australia leading the way in Canoe Slalom boasting the 'greatest paddler of all-time', here are 10 things to get you up to speed ahead of Tokyo 2020.
1. What is Canoe Slalom?
Canoe Slalom is a race against the clock through a combination of up and downstream gates on a whitewater course
2. What is the difference between a canoe and a kayak?
A canoe has a single blade with the athlete paddling from kneeling position, while kayak has a blade on each end which is paddled from a seated position.
3. What Canoe Slalom events will be at Tokyo 2020?
There will be four events within Canoe Slalom at Tokyo 2020 with both men and women contesting the kayak and canoe singles (K1W, K1M, C1W, C1M).
4. How do you get through the course?
Athletes race between coloured gates - there are a minimum of six upstream gates on each course with red dictating upstream and green for downstream. Athletes can incur time penalties with two seconds added for a gate touch and 50 seconds added for missing a gate entirely.
5. How long does it take to complete a course?
The fastest athletes will stop the clock between 90-110 seconds.
6. When did Canoe Slalom make its debut at an Olympic Games?
Canoe slalom was first part of the Olympic programme at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games. Athletes from former Democratic Republic of Germany (East Germany) won all four gold medals. Canoe slalom was dropped from the programme for 20 years, returning in 1992.
7. What will make Canoe Slalom different at Tokyo 2020?
Tokyo 2020 will be the first time gender equality will be achieved in Canoe Slalom, with women being able to compete in both kayak and canoe for the first time.
8. Who is the world's greatest slalom canoeist?
Australia boasts the greatest canoe slalomist of all-time – Jessica Fox. She earned this title (which originally belonged to her parents!) after winning 10 individual World Championship medals including seven gold and seven overall World Cup titles.
9. When did Australia start competing in Olympic Canoe Slalom?
Australia made its Canoe Slalom debut at Barcelona 1992, where Danielle Woodward claimed silver.
10. How many Olympic medals has Australia won in Canoe Slalom?
In total, Australia have won five Olympic Canoe Slalom medals, three silver and two bronze. After Woodward’s silver at Barcelona, Jacqui Lawrence and Rob Bell claimed silver and bronze respectively at Beijing 2008 before Fox won silver at London 2012 and bronze at Rio 2016. Australia is tied with France for having the most medals in Canoe Slalom at an Olympic Games (four medals).
