Canoeing

About Canoeing

Canoeing is a general term covering two types of boat and two Olympic disciplines: Sprint and Slalom. Canoes, designated 'C', use a single-bladed paddle and competitors kneel in their boats, which can be singles or doubles (C1 and C2). Kayaks, designated 'K', use a double-bladed paddle and competitors sit in their boats, which can be single, double or four-person (K1, K2 and K4).

Canoe slalom sees paddlers navigate a course of hanging gates on turbulent artificial or natural whitewater, prizing technical precision as much as raw power. Competitors race individually or in pairs (C2) against the clock, negotiating gates in the correct order without touching them, with the fastest times progressing from heats and semi-finals to the final.

Canoe sprint is a straight-line race on flatwater over 200m or 500m, contested in both kayak and Canadian canoe boats, solo and in crews, with up to nine boats racing side by side and medals decided by finishing order. Sprint made its Olympic debut at the Berlin Games in 1936. Ireland has competed in both disciplines at multiple Games since the 1970s, with Eoin Rheinisch reaching an Olympic final in slalom at Beijing 2008, Ireland's best result in the sport to date.