ACOG - Canoe/Kayak: Sprint - IBM

History of Canoe/Kayak-Sprint

Competitive History

From the 1984 Olympic Games through 1992, the United States emerged from a ranking of 13th in the world in flatwater sprint racing to a spot among the top five. No other U.S. Olympic sports team can claim that kind of progress in that time frame. Keying the charge was the performance of Greg BARTON, whose bronze medal in Los Angeles started a run of success unprecedented in U.S. paddling history, culminating in a pair of gold medals at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. He went on to earn his team a bronze medal in the K1 1000m at Barcelona. The 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona marked the 14th appearance of sprint racing in the Olympic Games, but only the second time whitewater slalom, competed at the Ocoee Whitewater Center in Tennessee, was included on the Olympic Programme.

Paddling in the Games

Canoe/kayak made its first Olympic appearance as a demonstration sport in 1924 during the VIII Olympiad in Paris. Harry T. KNIGHT Jr., Karl M. KNIGHT, Charles W. HAVENS and John F. LARCOMBE of the United States won every double-blade event and finished a close second behind the Canadians in the four single-blade events.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) rejected canoeing as an Olympic sport in the IX and X Olympiads because only six nations participated in canoeing competitions. The international canoeing association, however, continued to put pressure on the IOC to recognize canoeing as an Olympic sport. Canoeing was added as a full-medal sport in 1936 and 20 nations competed in nine events. The gold medal winner in the now-discontinued 1000m Canadian singles event, Francis AMYOT of Canada, had to pay his own way to Berlin after the Canadian Olympic Committee refused to fund his trip. Much to the embarrassment of his home country, AMYOT was the only gold medalist for Canada at the Games.

Because of World War II, only 17 nations entered paddlers in the 1948 Olympic Games. It was the first Olympic Games in which women were invited to compete. It was also the first year paddling legend Gert FREDRIKSSON of Sweden won his first gold medal in the K1 1000m. FREDRIKSSON has won the most medals (eight) in the sport, six of which were golds.

With the first post-war Olympiad came the newly organized International Canoe Federation (ICF), as well as a gold medal and two silver medals for U.S. paddlers. Steve LYSAK and Steve MACKNOWSKI (USA) captured the gold medal in the C2 10,000m, and the silver in the C2 1000m. Frank HAVENS (USA) won the other U.S. silver medal in the C1 10,000m. HAVENS then went on to take the gold in the C1 10,000m in 1952. It would take three more Olympiads before the U.S. would figure again in international competition.

In 1964, the women's team captured the first U.S. medal in 12 years. The team of Francine FOX and Gloriane PERRIER finished with a silver medal in the K2, while Marcia JONES won the bronze medal in the K1. For the next 20 years, however, the U.S. team struggled in Olympic competitions.

During that time, the Olympic Programme changed. In 1972, whitewater slalom was added to the Programme for the first time and enjoyed remarkable spectator response. In 1976, the 500-meter K1, K2, C1 and C2 for men were included on the sprint program, bringing the number of flatwater events up to 11.

A boycott by several National Olympic Committees reduced the number of participating nations to 23 in 1980. Despite the boycott, Moscow hosted the Games using a man-made regatta course and an automated starting mechanism.

Twenty-seven nations sent their paddlers to Los Angeles in 1984, although most Eastern Bloc countries did not participate. The only change to the program was the addition of the 500m K4 women's race. Four years later, the countries of Western Europe continued their dominance in the sport.

The 1988 Olympic Games saw the United States enjoy its greatest showing since that first demonstration glimpse of the sport in 1924. BARTON, who took the bronze in 1984, stormed to a hair-breadth (.005 seconds) victory in the K1 1000m, then returned to the Han River course less than 90 minutes later to team with Norman BELLINGHAM for gold in the K2 1000m, marking the first time an athlete has won two gold medals in the K1 and K2 1000m events at the same Olympic Games.

Germany and Hungary swept the field in Barcelona, with six and five medals respectively, though Knut HOLMANN of Norway gave the men a run for their money. Rita KOBAN alone brought Hungary three - one of each color. Watch for these and other 1992 medalists (listed below) to make a repeat performance in Atlanta.

This is an official publication of The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Jennifer Knight.


Olympic Factoid
Pin trading was one of the most popular Olympic sports, with more than 1.2 million pins changing hands during the Games in the Coca Cola Pin Trading Center at Centennial Olympic Park.