ACOG - Canoe/Kayak: Slalom - IBM

History Olympic Canoe/Kayak - Slalom

In 1992, Barcelona held whitewater races for the first time in 20 years; Atlanta will hold the third-ever Olympic slalom competition at the Ocoee Whitewater Center in Tennessee, located in the Cherokee National Forest. The Ocoee River is the only venue outside of Georgia in which medals will be awarded.

At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, the heavy favorite was Jon LUGBILL of the United States, who finished fourth. LUGBILL was world champion in 1979, 1981, 1983, 1987 and 1989, and was prevented from winning multiple Olympic medals only because the absence of the sport from the Olympic Programme during his prime. LUGBILL was on Wheaties cereal boxes in the mid-1980s. He had won 12 world championship titles and three world cup titles when he finished fourth in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.

In 1989, no world title was more accurately awarded when LUGBILL won by 11.97 seconds on the Savage River in Maryland. Not only is he an amazing athlete, but he has had a tremendous impact on the sport, introducing streamlined boats and bow and stern spin-paddling maneuvers to the sport. He retired after the 1992 Games but returned after shaking off a nagging shoulder injury.

According to The Golden Book of the Olympic Games, Lukas POLLERT (TCH) commented after his 1992 victory in the C1, "The only reason I'm here today is Jon LUGBILL. He taught everyone in this sport. He was light-years ahead of everyone."

Canoes and kayaks, of course, have much deeper roots than Olympic slalom competition. Native Americans carved the first canoes and kayaks from trees. Olympic canoes are still usually made of wood. But now, canoes and kayaks are also made of fiberglass and composite material.

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


Olympic Factoid
An estimated 5.3 million visted Centennial Olympic Park between opening day - 13 July - and closing day - 4 August, making the park the most single most visited Olympic site during the Games.