Paracanoe - ACA
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Olympic & Paralympic

Paracanoe

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.

Paracanoe with the San Diego Canoe & Kayak Team
  • 2022 Events & Information
  • 2024 Paris Paralympic Events
  • Grants Available to Paracanoe Coaches

    • CURRENT UPDATES:

    • 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.

     

    ICF Racing Calendar

    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:

    • 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)

    Please click here to view a list of grants available for athletes with disabilities.

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