Paddlers won’t want to miss this Summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games! There will be canoe/kayak events each day of the Olympics and three days of paracanoe racing throughout the Paralympics.
The Olympic opening ceremony will take place in Paris, France on July 26. Canoe Slalom heats then kick off on Saturday, July 27. Casey Eichfeld will be racing in his fourth Olympics in the Men’s Canoe Single (MC1) event. Evy Leibfarth will be making history this Summer by competing in all three Olympic Canoe Slalom events — canoe, kayak, and kayak cross! The 2024 Paris Games will be the first-time kayak cross is included in an Olympic Games.
Canoe Sprint events begin on Tuesday, August 6. Three American athletes will be racing for the United States — Nevin Harrison, Jonas Ecker, and Aaron Small. The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Champion, Nevin Harrison, has qualified for her second Olympic Games and will be competing in the Women’s Canoe Single 200m event. Jonas Ecker and Aaron Small have qualified for their first Olympic games and will be racing in the Men’s Kayak Double 500m event. The Men’s Kayak Double 500m Final will take place on Friday, August 9 and the Women’s Canoe Single 200m Final takes place on Saturday, August 10 just before the Olympic closing ceremony on Sunday, August 11.
The Paralympic Games take place later in August. The Paralympic opening ceremony will be held on Wednesday August 8. Paracanoe events will take place on the last three days of the Paralympic Games, September 6-9. Jillian Elwart has qualified for her first Olympic games and will be representing the United States in the Women’s VL3 200m event. Haxton has now qualified for his third Paralympic games. With his third-place finish at 2024 ICF Paracanoe World Championships, Haxton has great potential to medal again in the 2024 Paralympic Games!
For the latest canoe/kayak news from the Olympic and Paralympic games, follow @acapaddlesports on Facebook and Instagram! To watch the games in the United States, stream through the Peacock channel or download the app!