Paracanoe is the canoeing discipline for athletes with an impairment and races are contested by two types of boat, kayak (K) and va’a (V). The kayak is propelled by a double-blade paddle, while the va’a is a rudderless, outrigger canoe which has an ama (second pontoon) as a support float and is used with a single-blade paddle. Both kayak and va’a have three different classes of events for men and women, depending on the classification of an athlete’s impairment, with KL1, KL2 and KL3 for kayak and VL1, VL2 and VL3 for va’a. At international level all paracanoe races are individual events and competed at a distance of 200m.
Olympic & Paralympic
Paracanoe
Paracanoe with the San Diego Canoe & Kayak Team
- 2022 Events & Information
- 2024 Paris Paralympic Events
- Current Athlete Selection Criteria is in the process of being amended based on comments from Athletes and Coaches. If you have any updates/changes you would like to see please email them to the SCA email group by March 7
- Para Athlete Selection Criteria is in the works and will be posted upon completion.
- Nominations are now open until March 7 for the Competition Committee- make your nominations here. Voting will begin immediately after the nominations close.
- Each discipline committee will include a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 6 members based on the number of nominations received.
- According to the Ted Stevens Act, athlete representatives must equal at least 33.3% of the committee members and at least 50% of the athlete reps must meet the definition of a 10-Year Athlete.
- ACA’s approved definition of a 10-Year Athlete is an athlete who has represented the United States in a Delegation event (i.e., Olympics, Paralympics, Pan American Games, Para pan Games), World Championships, or World Cups.
- Nominees must be an ACA member in good standing and must be 18 years or older.
- Team Trial Race Card will be drafted by the Chief Official by Tuesday, March 8.
- USA Junior, U23, and National Team Trials
- Lake Natoma, Folsom, CA
- April 15-16, 2022
- Team Trials ATHLETE Registration (Closes March 15)
- If you would like to register to be a volunteer please register on the ACA page (for SafeSport verification) and then click here to register for your volunteer position.
- World cup 1- Racice
- Nominals close May 10 (entered following Team Trials)
- Race days May 20-22
- World cup 2- Poznan
- Nominals close May 16 (entered following Team Trials)
- Race days May 26-29
- SR Team Trials- Halifax
- Nominals close July 24
- Race days August 3-7
- US Canoe Sprint National Championships, Harsha Lake, Clermont County, OH, July 31 – August 6, 2022
- Security for trailers- July 31
- Practice with course- August 1
- Race days- August 2-5
- Award Banquet- August 5
- Paddle Fest- August 6 (Save $10 with discount code: ACARacer)
- Athlete Paddle fest Registration
- For more information regarding Paddle Fest click here
- Jr/U23 World Championships- Szeged
- Nominals close August 22
- Race days September 1-4
- Men’s Kayak Single (MKL1)
- Men’s Kayak Single (MKL2)
- Men’s Kayak Single (MKL3)
- Men’s Va’a Single (MVL2)
- Men’s Va’a Single (MVL3)
- Women’s Kayak Single (WKL1)
- Women’s Kayak Single (WKL2)
- Women’s Kayak Single (WKL3)
- Women’s Va’a Single (WVL2)
CURRENT UPDATES:
2022 US National Team Trials
2022 ICF Canoe Sprint World Cups
2022 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
2022 ACA – US Canoe Sprint Nationals
2022 ACA – ICF Jr & U23 Canoe Sprint Worlds Program
The following paracanoe sprint events are part of the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympic program:
2021 US National and Paracanoe Team
Blake Haxton: MVL2
- Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
- 31 years old
- 2-time Paralympian (2016, 2020)
- Steven is also a member of the U.S. Paralympic Rowing Team; he will race in rowing and paracanoe at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games
Kaitlyn Verfuerth: WKL2, WKVL2
- Hometown: Gilbert, Arizona
- 36 years old
- Secured a ticket to Tokyo based on her results in VL1 women 200m at the 2019 ICF world championships
- Member of the 2004, 2008, and 2016 Paralympic tennis teams