joCONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2024 OLYMPIANS!
Nevin Harrison – Silver Medalist in Women’s C1 200m
Aaron Small and Jonas Ecker – 8th Place in Men’s K2 500m
Powerful athletes race head-to-head on a beautiful 9-lane course in narrow, high-speed canoes and kayaks. Olympic Flatwater Sprint Racing combines grace, power, fitness, exact paddling mechanics, and tremendous mental strength in three distances – 200m, 500m, and 1000m. First introduced in the 1924 Paris Olympic Games, Canoe/Kayak Sprint became a full medal sport in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Sprint Canoe/Kayak represents one of the largest Olympic sports with 10 events.
Nevin Harrison, Silver Medalist, Paris Games, 2024
Athletes are seated and use a paddle with a blade at each end in Kayak events while racing in one-person (K1), two-person (K2), and four-person (K4) boats. Canoe events, in single (C1) and double (C2), are characterized by a single-bladed paddle and are raced from the powerful high-knee position. Four person canoes (C4) are also raced at the annual World Championships.
The USA has won 7 Gold, 5 Silver, and 6 Bronze Olympic Medals in Sprint. Nevin Harrison (pictured above) is the current Olympic Silver Medalist, an Olympic Gold Medalist, and a World Champion in C1 200, making her one of the World’s Fastest Women in a Canoe. For complete Olympic Canoeing Results please see these Race Archives.
Governance
Sprint is governed by the Sprint Competition Committee (SCC). Learn more about the SCC, see its current membership, view the sprint racing rules, and read meeting minutes.
National Team Coaching Staff
Canoe Coach, Joseph Harper
