What’s new at Paris 2024? The new canoe slalom event Kayak cross
Alongside the traditional kayak singles and canoe singles, a new Olympic event will make its debut in canoe slalom at Paris 2024: kayak cross. Get to know more about this thrilling race that is like no other in the world of canoe.
At the Olympic Games Paris 2024, breaking will make its debut while other sports will feature revised formats and disciplines. To keep you up to date, Olympics.com is bringing you everything you need to know about what’s new at Paris 2024.
Now it's time to get to know kayak cross, a new event that will make its debut at Paris 2024. More than 50 years after its debut at the Olympic Games, canoe slalom will for the first time include an event in which athletes are racing against each other and not only the clock.
Kayak cross, a new and exciting event at Paris 2024
Since its debut at the Games at Munich 1972, canoe slalom has always included four events at the Games. Up until Rio 2016 those were men's canoe singles (C-1), men's kayak singles (K-1), women's kayak singles (K-1) and men's canoe doubles (C-2) until the latter was substituted for women's canoe singles (C-1) at Tokyo 2020.
At Paris 2024 - and for the first time ever - another Olympic gold medal in canoe slalom will be available to both men and women thanks to the addition of kayak cross.
And this isn’t the only reason this event is revolutionary.
“It will be very exciting” promises Kimberley Woods, the silver medalist at the 2022 World Championships, giving a glimpse of what’s to come when the event debuts in less than a year’s time.
In kayak cross, four athletes race each other at the same time, and that in itself changes everything.
“It’s a bit like snowboard cross or BMX Racing. It’s full of new things and it’s a challenge to discover all of them,” explained Marjorie Delassus of France.
“It’s really amazing. It’s nice to race, it’s nice that you and the other girls aren't competing alone. It’s unpredictable, you don’t know what the other women are thinking and you don’t know how they will complete their run.” Ukraine’s Viktoriia Us told Olympics.com after winning the gold medal in the event at the European Games 2023.
If you’re not hyped yet, just wait until you get to know all the rules of kayak cross.
Everything you need to know about kayak cross
From start to finish, kayak cross is like no other canoe slalom event.
Firstly, four athletes compete at the same time. They start the race together from a ramp located above the water, which is impressive in itself.
“You’re there at the start, your heart is beating, the race is about to happen, you just wait for the 'ready' and the ramp to go. You just have to go off as quick as you can,” explains Britain's Woods.
From there, athletes race against each other on a course with a maximum of six downstream gates and two upstream gates. It’s a constant battle that requires a mindset radically different to kayak singles.
“We’re in direct confrontation with each other. There’s a lot of contact and strategy is important because you need to adapt to the other athletes' choices. If someone decides to go through a gate in a certain way, how can I react to overtake her?” asks Delassus.
In this event, you are allowed to touch the gates but missing one will mean disqualification.
There is also something else that is unique about kayak cross: the kayak roll.
In a defined zone of the course, all athletes are required to complete a kayak roll, which means completing a 360° rotation that includes your head going under the water. It is an extremely technical part of a race in which the possibilities are endless.
“You need to be fast. Sometimes, we don’t really know where we will end up, but we try to analyse it so that we can take the next gate properly. It’s an extra layer of difficulty,” says Maialen Chourraut, a three-time Olympic medalist in kayak singles.
The format of the competition is also different. It starts with a time trial in order to determine the heats and a bracket. During the preliminary rounds, the top 2 finishers in each race go through to the quarter-finals and this continues until the final where the medals are awarded.
What do the athletes think about kayak cross?
Many athletes are ecstatic about taking on the challenge of a completely different event, including 40-year-old Rio 2016 kayak singles gold medallist Chourraut.
“It’s very spectacular and dynamic. It gives the public the opportunity to discover, watch, follow and like our sport. And it’s also a true motivation for us, it pushes us to be better. Kayak cross will bring entertainment, passion and emotion to the Olympic Games.”
Delassus says that kayak cross gives athletes “a different kind of enjoyment.”
“It changes what we’re used to doing in canoe slalom, being alone with our boat, our gates.”
For Woods, kayak cross means more fun for both athletes and fans. “It’s a lot of fun, it’s exciting. You never know what will happen and you’ve got to take your opportunities and [deal with] whatever is in front of you while making sure you stay fault-free and battle the other boat. It’s very exciting and fun to watch.”
Athletes to watch in kayak cross at Paris 2024
Because of the nature of the race and because it's a relatively new sport, kayak cross can be very unpredictable.
Only four world titles per gender have ever been awarded. Jessica Fox and Joseph Clarke are the only multiple gold medallists in the history of the event and will be among the favourites in Vaires-sur-Marne for the Paris 2024 competition.
The silver medalist at the 2022 World Championships, Anatole Delassus, who is the brother of Marjorie Delassus, will have the advantage of competing in front of his home crowd in Paris.
Vojtech Heger and Mallory Franklin both won the World Cup 2022 and will attempt to repeat the result on the Olympic stage next summer.
How to qualify for kayak cross at Paris 2024?
Three quota places per gender will be awarded during the ICF Kayak Cross Global Qualification Competition that will be held in Prague from 7 to 9 June 2024. At the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the rest of the field will be formed by athletes who competed in the canoe singles and kayak single events, within the limit of two athletes per NOC per event.
Schedule of kayak cross at Paris 2024
Saturday 3 August
15:30-19:15
- Time Trial Women
- Time Trial Men
- Repechage 1 Women
- Repechage 1 Men
- Repechage 2 Women
- Repechage 2 Men
Sunday 4 August
15:30 - 17:25
- Preliminary Men
- Preliminary Women
Monday 5 August
15:30-17:30
- Quarter-Finals Women
- Quarter-Finals Men
- Semi-Finals Women
- Semi-Finals Men
- Small Final Women
- Small Final Men
- Final Women
- Final Men
What's new at Paris 2024? Read more