Canoe sprint

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Heat 3 of the Men's K-1 200m at the 2016 Olympic Games Rio 2016. Canoagem de velocidade-Canoe sprint (28860179530).jpg
Heat 3 of the Men's K-1 200m at the 2016 Olympic Games

Canoe sprint is a water sport in which athletes race in specially designed canoes or kayaks on calm water over a short distance. The sport is governed over by the International Canoe Federation and it is one of the two kayaking and canoeing disciplines at the Summer Olympics. The other Olympic canoeing discipline is canoe slalom.

Contents

Prior to November 2008, canoe sprint was known as flatwater racing.

History

The Scottish traveller, John "Rob Roy" MacGregor, is widely recognised for popularising competitive canoeing during the late 19th century. Against the backdrop of Victorian society's growing interest in outdoors activities such as camping and pleasure boating, [1] MacGregor's weekly accounts of his journey through the waterways of Europe became immensely popular. [2]

John MacGregor paddles through the small German town of Tuttlingen John MacGregor Tuttlingen.jpg
John MacGregor paddles through the small German town of Tuttlingen

Upon his return to England he authored A Thousand Miles in the Rob Roy Canoe, a popular, and would inspire others to try the sport. In 1866 he founded The Canoe Club, the world's first canoe club. This marked start of canoe clubs emerging on both sides of the Atlantic, promoting the organization for regatta and contributing to the establishment of formal notional bodies to define the rules of the sport. [3] MacGregor, for example, would go on to found the American Canoe Association in 1880.

The sport's growing popularity in the early 1900s prompted the need for international structure. In 1924, the predecessor of the International Canoe Federation, the Internationale Repräsentantenschaft Kanusport, was formed by German, Austrian and Swedish delegates at a meeting hosted by the Danish Canoe Federation  [ dk ]. [4] That laid the foundation for international competitions, including a canoeing demonstration event at the 1924 Olympic games. In 1933, the inaugural European championships were held in Prague. The International Olympic Committee had rejected applications for the inclusion of canoeing in the 1928 and 1932 Olympic Games due to the limited number of proposed participating nations. The application to the 1936 Olympic games faced a different challenge, with an initial rejection in 1933. Spearheading this decision was the president of the FISA, who expressed concern that an influx of small crafts would compromise the freedom of rowers on lakes and waterways. [5] The IRK, however, successfully appealed this decision in 1934, leaning to the inclusion of canoeing as an Olympic sport starting from the 1936 Olympic Games. The first world championships took place in 1938 in Vaxholm. notably, the 1948 Olympic Games were the first instancce wehre women were allowed to compete in canoeing at an Olympic level, albeit in only one discipline, as opposed to eight available to men. Since the first international competitions, there has been a noticeable trend of reducing the race distances. As 10km was scrapped, 500m and 200m were introduced.

Overview

Canoe sprint races typically take place on flatwater courses, including lakes, calm rivers, or artificial waterways. Race categories vary by the number of athletes in the boat, the length of the course, and whether the boat is a canoe or kayak. The distances recognized by the ICF for international canoe sprint races are 200m, 500m, and 1000m. These races take place on straight courses with each boat paddling in its own designated lane. They are also the only distances to have featured at the Olympic games since 1960. The ICF currently recognizes only one additional sprint distance, the 5000m, which diverges from traditional lane-based racing. Instead, athletes tend to start in a large pack, navigating a set course with distinct turning points. For each race a number of heats, semi-finals and finals may be necessary, depending on the number of competitors.

The official boats recognized by the ICF as 'International Boats' are: K1, K2, K4, C1, C2 and C4, where the number indicates the size of the crew and “K” stands for kayak and “C” for canoe. [6] The ICF rules for these boats define, among other things, the maximum length, the minimum weight and the shape of the boats. A K1, for instance, must be 520 cm long and weigh at least 12 kg for sprints. Originally, width (beam) restrictions were also enforced; these were revoked in 2000, spurring a flurry of innovations in boat designs. Modern boats are usually made of carbon fiber, aramid fiber (e.g., Kevlar) with epoxy resin, or variants of high-performance fiber-glass.

The sport is governed by the International Canoe Federation. The International Canoe Federation is the worldwide canoeing organization and creates the standard rules for the different disciplines of canoe/kayak competition. The ICF recognizes several competitive and non-competitive disciplines of canoeing, of which Sprint and Slalom are the only two competing in the Olympic games.

On the whole, Europe has dominated the sport, winning over 90% of all available medals. [7]

Kayak

In a kayak, the paddler is seated in the direction of travel, and uses a double-bladed paddle. Kayaks have a rudder for steering and course adjustment, which is operated by the feet of the paddler in the front. The paddle used is usually a 'wing paddle' (although standard asymmetrical paddles can also be used) – wing paddles have blades which are shaped to resemble a wing or spoon, creating lift and increasing the power and stability of the stroke. There are many variations of wing paddles, ranging from longer and narrower options for more stability throughout the entire stroke to more extreme 'teardrop' shaped paddles for a firmer application of power at the start of the stroke.

Canoe

In a canoe the paddler kneels on one knee with the other leg forward and foot flat on the floor of the boat, and paddles a single-bladed paddle on one side only with what is known as a 'J-stroke' to control the boat's direction. [8] In Canada, a racing class exists for the C-15 or WC or "War Canoe", as well as a similarly designed C-4 (which is much shorter and more squat than an 'International' C-4). An antiquated boat class is the C-7, resembling a large C4 which was debuted by the ICF with little success. For racing canoes, the blade is typically short and broad, with a 'power face' on one side that is either flat or scalloped out. The shaft will typically be longer than a tripping canoe paddle, because the kneeling position puts the paddler higher above the surface of the water. More recent designs of canoe racing paddles often have a slight bent shaft, commonly 12–14 degrees. (a concept of canoe designer Eugene Jensen in the 1960s). Many high-performance canoe paddlers prefer the feel of a wooden handle with a carbon fiber shaft and blade, while nearly all high-performance kayak paddlers use paddles made completely of carbon fiber.[ citation needed ]

See also


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canoeing</span> Activity of paddling a canoe

Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other activities such as canoe camping, or where canoeing is merely a transportation method used to accomplish other activities. Most present-day canoeing is done as or as a part of a sport or recreational activity. In some parts of Europe canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an open canoe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildwater canoeing</span>

Wildwater canoeing is a competitive discipline of canoeing in which kayaks or canoes are used to negotiate a stretch of river speedily. It is also called "Whitewater racing" or "Downriver racing" to distinguish it from whitewater slalom racing and whitewater rodeo or Freestyle competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canoe slalom</span> Competitive sport

Canoe slalom is a competitive sport with the aim to navigate a decked canoe or kayak through a course of hanging downstream or upstream gates on river rapids in the fastest time possible. It is one of the two kayak and canoeing disciplines at the Summer Olympics, and is referred to by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as Canoe/Kayak Slalom. The other Olympic canoeing discipline is canoe sprint. Wildwater canoeing is a non-Olympic paddlesport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surf ski</span> Light boat that is paddled

A surfski is a type of kayak in the kayaking "family" of paddling craft. It is generally the longest of all kayaks and is a performance oriented kayak designed for speed on open water, most commonly the ocean, although it is well suited to all bodies of water and recreational paddling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sprint canoe</span>

A sprint canoe is a canoe used in International Canoe Federation canoe sprint. It is an open boat propelled by one, two or four paddlers from a kneeling position, using single-bladed paddles. The difficulty of balance can depend on how wide or narrow the canoe is, although regularly the less contact a canoe has with the water the faster it goes. This makes the narrower boats much faster and popular when it comes to racing.

The ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships are an international event in canoe racing, one of two Summer Olympic sport events organized by the International Canoe Federation. The World Championships have taken place every non-Olympic year since 1970 and officially included paracanoe events since 2010; since 2012, paracanoe-specific editions of this event have been held in Summer Paralympic years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sprint kayak</span> Water sport

Sprint kayak is a type of canoe sprint held on calm water. The paddler is seated, facing forward, and uses a double-bladed paddle pulling the blade through the water on alternate sides to propel the boat forward. Kayak sprint has been in every summer Olympics since it debuted at the 1936 Summer Olympics. The sport is governed by the International Canoe Federation.

The 1987 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Duisburg, West Germany for the second time. The West German city hosted the championships previously in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canoe marathon</span> Paddling sport

Canoe marathon is a paddling sport in which athletes paddle a kayak or canoe over a long distance to the finish line. The International Canoe Federation states the standard distances are at least 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) without an upper limit, while short distance races are between 3.4 kilometres (2.1 mi), and 10 kilometres (6.2 mi). Many events are raced down sections of river, including currents or portages around obstacles. Some events attract thousands of competitors and are staged over several days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of canoeing and kayaking</span> Overview of and topical guide to canoeing and kayaking

Canoeing – recreational boating activity or paddle sport in which you kneel or sit facing forward in an open or closed-decked canoe, and propel yourself with a single-bladed paddle, under your own power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canoeing at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's C-1 200 metres</span> Olympic canoeing event

The women's C-1 200 metres sprint canoeing event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 4 and 5 August 2021 at the Sea Forest Waterway. At least 12 canoeists from at least 12 nations competed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canoeing at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's C-1 1000 metres</span> Olympic canoeing event

The men's C-1 1000 metres sprint canoeing event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 6 and 7 August 2021 at the Sea Forest Waterway. At least 12 canoeists from at least 12 nations competed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canoeing at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's C-2 1000 metres</span> Olympic canoeing event

The men's C-2 1000 metres sprint canoeing event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 2 and 3 August 2021 at the Sea Forest Waterway. 28 canoeists from 14 nations competed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canoeing at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's K-1 200 metres</span> Olympic canoeing event

The men's K-1 200 metres sprint canoeing event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 4 and 5 August 2021 at the Sea Forest Waterway. At least 12 canoeists from at least 12 nations competed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canoeing at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's K-1 200 metres</span> Olympic canoeing event

The women's K-1 200 metres sprint canoeing event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 2 and 3 August 2021 at the Sea Forest Waterway. At least 12 canoeists from at least 12 nations competed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canoeing at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's K-1 500 metres</span> Olympic canoeing event

The women's K-1 500 metres sprint canoeing event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 4 and 5 August 2021 at the Sea Forest Waterway. At least 13 canoeists from at least 13 nations competed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canoeing at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's K-1 1000 metres</span> Olympic canoeing event

The men's K-1 1000 metres sprint canoeing event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 2 and 3 August 2021 at the Sea Forest Waterway. At least 15 canoeists from at least 15 nations competed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canoeing at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's K-2 500 metres</span> Olympic canoeing event

The women's K-2 500 metres sprint canoeing event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 2 and 3 August 2021 at the Sea Forest Waterway. At least 20 canoeists from at least 9 nations competed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canoeing at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's K-4 500 metres</span> Olympic canoeing event

The men's K-4 500 metres sprint canoeing event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 6 and 7 August 2021 at the Sea Forest Waterway. 44 canoeists from 11 nations competed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canoeing at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's K-4 500 metres</span> Olympic canoeing event

The women's K-4 500 metres sprint canoeing event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 6 and 7 August 2021 at the Sea Forest Waterway. 48 canoeists from 10 nations competed.

References

  1. Gartner, Emily (23 May 2019). "Camping in Victorian times". friendsofdalnavert.ca. Dalnavert Museum. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  2. Wenham, Simon (12 May 2020). "John 'Rob Roy' MacGregor (1825-1892): Explorer, Evangelist and Philanthropist". victorianweb.org. The Victorian Web. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  3. McKenzie, Don; Mortimer, Ian (2019). Handbook of Sports Medicine and Science: Canoeing (PDF). John Wiley & Sons. p. 3. ISBN   9781119097228.
  4. Berkeley, Jeff (19 January 2024). "How Denmark set stage for formation of ICF". canoeicf.com. The International Canoe Federation. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  5. McKenzie, Don; Mortimer, Ian (2019). Handbook of Sports Medicine and Science: Canoeing (PDF). John Wiley & Sons. p. 7. ISBN   9781119097228.
  6. "Canoe Sprint". International Canoe Federation . Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  7. "What is sprint?". Archived from the original on 22 June 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  8. "Canoe sprint". ICF. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.