Canoe racing

:This article is about flatwater canoe racing. Other forms of canoe and kayak racing, such as e.g. whitewater racing, extreme racing, dragon boat racing and outrigger canoe racing, are practised on white water and/or use quite different boats and paddles. See the article on canoeing for a more general overview. For the distinction between the terms canoe and kayak see the article on the canoe.

Flatwater racing (Sprint)

Flatwater racing takes place on a straight course divided in lanes, on calm water. The distances recognised by the ICF for international races are 200 m, 500 m, and 1000 m. Each boat has his own designated lane, except for races over more than 1000 m, where there also may be turning points. Men race in canoes and in kayaks, women only in kayaks. For each race a number of heats, semi-finals and a final may be necessary, depending on the number of competitors.

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Flatwater racing has been part of the Olympic Games since 1936 (Berlin) for men, and since 1948 (London) for women. Notable Olympic gold medal winners are Birgit Fischer-Schmidt (8 gold medals since 1980) and Gert Fredriksson (6 gold medals between 1948 and 1960).

Related Topics:
Olympic Games - 1936 (Berlin) - 1948 (London) - Gold medal - Birgit Fischer-Schmidt - 1980 - Gert Fredriksson - 1960

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List of Olympic events:

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• C-1 1000m (canoe single) Men
• C-1 500m (canoe single) Men
• C-2 1000m (canoe double) Men
• C-2 500m (canoe double) Men
• K-1 1000m (kayak single) Men
• K-1 500m (kayak single) Men
• K-1 500m (kayak single) Women
• K-2 1000m (kayak double) Men
• K-2 500m (kayak double) Men
• K-2 500m (kayak double) Women
• K-4 1000m (kayak four) Men
• K-4 500m (kayak four) Women