Welcome to kayak cross, the Olympics’ newest discipline and a sport where, it would seem, anything goes.
Some sort of aqua wacky races aimed at appealing to the younger generation by the International Olympic Committee, the appetite for it would seem to be universal.
And what’s not to love. Four canoeists are unleashed off a ramp five metres in the air and have to get down the course in the quickest time by passing through a number of gates.
The only stipulation, apparently, is you cannot intentionally hit an opponent in the face but otherwise this is pugilism with oars. It somehow seemed apt that the former boxer Nicola Adams was here for one of the broadcasters.
Team GB had threatened to come away with the inaugural Olympic champions in both the men’s and women’s events when Joe Clarke and Kimberley Woods, respective world champions, won their respective semi-finals with ease.
But come the final both missed out, Clarke having to make do with silver and Woods going for a gold or bust move at the death which initially resulted in bust. But a later disqualification for Germany’s Elena Lilik promoted her to bronze for her second medal of that colour in Paris.
This event is WILD 🤯@TeamGB's Joe Clarke battles to silver in the men's kayak cross final.
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 5, 2024
Wow.#BBCOlympics #Olympics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/I015suC7ZH
For Clarke, it was a partial redemption having missed out on a medal in the K1 last week with a disappointing fifth.
He said: “I’ll be honest with you, I came into this event wanting to win gold but that didn’t happen today. I’m not disappointed in any way. Silver medal for Team GB is absolutely massiveI thought it was an epic final.”
Traditionalists initially poured scorn at the addition of kayak cross into the sport and the Olympic Games, even Clarke himself was a self-confessed sceptic initially. But judging by the competition and the reception both in the stands and from those watching at home, it has been a success.
A female MC whipped a crowd of all noisy nationalities into a frenzy from start to finish, support crews from each nation ran up and down the waterside as their athletes found themselves immersed in various battles.
Mallory Franklin, the third Briton on finals day, failed to make it out of her semi-final but Woods did. And come the final she took the lead.
She was knocked off course at the first upstream gate by Angele Hug, much to the delight of the French crowd only for Australia’s Noemie Fox to take the lead.
In second for much of the run, Woods’ only option for gold was to attack Fox at the last upstream gate, a risky move that could equate to gold or nothing. Fox survived to take gold, Woods got caught and she finished last before a late medal reprieve.
Reliving her all-or-nothing attack, Woods said: “There was a moment on that gate seven where I thought I could just go for silver but I thought I’m in the Olympic final guys, I’m going to go for gold. A really brave moment but it didn’t pay off.”
In contrast, Clarke was undone by having Noah Hegge cutting across him at the start although he recovered to put himself in contention. But New Zealand’s Finn Butcher was just too good and Clarke had to make do with the silver, which he said felt like gold after his tough start.
His son Hugo was in the stands again with a T-shirt with Clarke on it and father and son had a hug in the aftermath.
Following his last Olympic medal, a gold, he had somehow ended up playing pool and drinking cocktails with the original Ronaldo at his Rio de Janeiro home. As for how to celebrate this time, he said: “Rumour has it he's here at the Games. So hopefully we canrendez-vous somewhere and carry on, eh?”
