This article discusses
canoe sprint and
canoe marathon, competitive forms of
canoeingCanoeing is the activity of paddling a canoe for the purpose of recreation , sport, or transportation. It usually refers exclusively to using a paddle to propel a canoe with only human muscle power...
and
kayakingKayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking is generally differentiated from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is defined by the International Canoe Federation as a boat where the paddler faces forward, legs in...
on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the
International Canoe FederationThe International Canoe Federation is the umbrella organization of all national canoe organizations worldwide. It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and administers all aspects of canoe sport worldwide...
(ICF).
Canoe sprint, which is referred to by the IOC as "
canoe/kayak sprint", is one of the two forms of the canoeing disciplines that are featured in the Summer Olympics, the other being canoe slalom. Marathon racing is not an Olympic sport.
This article discusses
canoe sprint and
canoe marathon, competitive forms of
canoeingCanoeing is the activity of paddling a canoe for the purpose of recreation , sport, or transportation. It usually refers exclusively to using a paddle to propel a canoe with only human muscle power...
and
kayakingKayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking is generally differentiated from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is defined by the International Canoe Federation as a boat where the paddler faces forward, legs in...
on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the
International Canoe FederationThe International Canoe Federation is the umbrella organization of all national canoe organizations worldwide. It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and administers all aspects of canoe sport worldwide...
(ICF).
Canoe sprint, which is referred to by the IOC as "
canoe/kayak sprint", is one of the two forms of the canoeing disciplines that are featured in the Summer Olympics, the other being canoe slalom. Marathon racing is not an Olympic sport. In non-Olympic years, the main events are the World Championships.
Canoe racing combined with map
navigationNavigation is the process of reading, and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks. The word navigate is derived from the Latin "navigare", meaning "to sail"...
is called
Canoe orienteeringCanoe orienteering is an orienteering sport using a canoe, kayak, or other small boat. Usually, a canoe-O is a timed race in which one- or two-person boats start at staggered intervals, are timed, and are expected to perform all navigation on their own. Portages are allowed. The control points,...
.
Canoe marathon
Marathons are long distance races on rivers, lakes, estuaria or open sea. The course may include obstacles such as shallows, rocks and
portagePortage refers to the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land to avoid river obstacles, or between two bodies of water. A place where this carrying occurs is also called a portage; a person doing the carrying is called a porter....
s. Under ICF rules, the minimum distances for international races are 20 km for men, and 15 km for women. The races may be divided in several parts and/or several days. World Cup and World Championship races normally are about 35 to 40 km long.
As there are no maximum distances, marathon racing has its extremes, such as the
Hawkesbury Canoe ClassicThe Hawkesbury Canoe Classic is an annual marathon canoe race taking place on the Hawkesbury River in Northwest Sydney usually at the end of October. The Hawkesbury Canoe Classic consists of a 111 km paddle downstream starting in Windsor and finishing in Brooklyn...
in
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
,
Devizes to Westminster MarathonThe Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Marathon is a marathon canoe race in England. The race is held every Easter over a course of 125 miles from Devizes in Wiltshire to Westminster in central London. It has been run since 1948. Starting at Devizes wharf, the route follows the Kennet and...
in England (125 miles, i.e. about 200 km), the
Tour de GudenåThe is a 120 km flatwater kayak and canoe race along the Gudenå river in Denmark. It is held on the second weekend of September each year.Starting in Skanderborg, participants paddle to Silkeborg via the Skanderborg lake, Mossø lake, Julsø lake and several other, minor lakes along the Gudenå river...
in Denmark (120 km), the
Texas Water SafariThe Texas Water Safari, billed as the "World's Toughest Boat Race", is a trek down waterways from San Marcos, Texas, to Seadrift, Texas. The primary requirement is a boat powered only by human muscle. The event was first held in 1963, and is run annually....
(262 mi), the Missouri River 340 (nonstop 340 miles), the Weyerhaeuser
Au Sable River Canoe MarathonThe AuSable River International Canoe Marathon is an annual canoe race in Michigan from Grayling to Oscoda. It first ran in 1947 and is the longest, non-stop, canoe-only race in North America...
(nonstop 120 miles), the Berg River Canoe Marathon in South Africa (248 km), the YMCA (formerly Red Cross) Murray Marathon, 404 km down the Murray River in Australia, the longest annual canoe and kayak race, the
Yukon River Quest (742 km), and the longest canoe and kayak race, the
Yukon 1000 (1000 miles, 1600km) on the
Yukon RiverThe Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. Over half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska, with most of the other portion lying in and giving its name to Canada's Yukon Territory, and a small part of the river near the source located in British Columbia...
from Whitehorse to the last road access point on the river in Alaska.
Canoe sprint
Canoe sprint takes place on a straight course divided in lanes, on calm water. The distances recognised by the ICF for international races are 200 m, 500 m, and 1000 m. Each boat has its own designated lane, except for races over more than 1000 m, where there also may be turning points. Men race in canoes and in kayaks, women in kayaks except in Canada and the United States where women's canoe is an event raced at both Canada Games and National Championships. For each race a number of heats, semi-finals and a final may be necessary, depending on the number of competitors.
Canoe sprint has been part of the
Olympic GamesThe Olympic Games are a major international event of summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes compete in a wide variety of events. The Games are currently held every two years, with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating. Originally, the ancient Olympic Games were held in...
since
1936 (Berlin)The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
for men, and since
1948 (London)The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, United Kingdom. After a hiatus of 12 years caused by World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
for women. Notable Olympic
gold medalA gold medal is typically the highest medal awarded for achievement in a non-military field. The concept comes from the military, initially with a simple recognition of military rank, and later decorations for admission to military orders dating back to medieval times.Since the eighteenth century,...
winners are
Birgit Fischer-SchmidtBirgit Fischer is a kayaker, who has won eight gold medals over a record six different Olympic Games spanning seven Olympiads: twice representing East Germany , then four times representing the reunited nation...
(eight gold medals between
1980The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
and
2004The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
) and
Gert FredrikssonGert Fridolf Fredriksson was a Swedish sprint canoer who competed from 1942 to 1964. Competing in four Summer Olympics, he won eight medals including six golds , one silver , and one bronze...
(six gold medals between
1948The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, United Kingdom. After a hiatus of 12 years caused by World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
and
1960The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Rome, Italy, in 1960...
).
List of Olympic events:
- C-1 200 m (canoe single) Men
- C-1 1000 m (canoe single) Men
- C-2 200 m (canoe double) Men
- C-2 1000 m (canoe double) Men
- K-1 200 m (kayak single) Women
- K-1 500 m (kayak single) Women
- K-1 1000 m (kayak single) Men
- K-2 200 m (kayak double) Men
- K-2 500 m (kayak double) Women
- K-2 1000 m (kayak double) Men
- K-4 500 m (kayak four) Women
- K-4 1000 m (kayak four) Men
In European Championships and World Championship competitions following events are also on the program. (Women's canoe will debut at the
2010 championshipsThe 2010 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships will be held 19-22 August 2010 in Poznań, Poland on Lake Malta. This is the third time that the Polish city will host the championships, having done so previously in 1990 and 2001...
in
PoznańPoznań is a city in west-central Poland with over 557,264 inhabitants . Located on the Warta River, it is one of the oldest cities in Poland, making it an important historical centre and a vibrant centre of trade, industry, and education. Poznań is Poland's fifth largest city and fourth biggest...
,
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.)
- C-1 200 m (canoe single) Men & Women
- C-1 500 m (canoe single) Men & Women
- C-1 1000 m (canoe single) Men
- C-1 4 x 200 m (canoe single relay) Men
- C-2 200 m (canoe double) Men & Women
- C-2 500 m (canoe double) Men & Women
- C-2 1000 m (canoe double) Men
- C-4 200 m (canoe four) Men
- C-4 1000 m (canoe four) Men
- K-1 200 m (kayak single) Men & Women
- K-1 500 m (kayak single) Men & Women
- K-1 1000 m (kayak single) Men & Women
- K-1 4 x 200 m (kayak single relay) Men & Women
- K-2 200 m (kayak double) Men & Women
- K-2 500 m (kayak double) Men & Women
- K-2 1000 m (kayak double) Men & Women
- K-4 200 m (kayak four) Men & Women
- K-4 500 m (kayak four) Women
- K-4 1000 m (kayak four) Men
This list of events appears in the European Championships and the World Championships, although 200 m races are not for juniors.
Equipment
The official boats recognised by the ICF as 'International Boats' are the following: K1, K2, K4, C1, C2 and C4, where the number indicates the number of paddlers, “K” stands for kayak and “C” for Canadian or canoe, depending on location. Kayaks have a steering
rudderA rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft,or other conveyance that moves through a fluid . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
, which is operated by the (frontmost) paddler with his feet; in a kayak a paddler is sitting, while in a canoe he is kneeling on one knee. The ICF rules for these boats define, among others, the maximum length, the minimum weight and the shape of the boats. For example, by ICF rules, a K1 is at most 520 cm long, and weighs at least 8 kg for marathons or 12 kg for sprints. In 2000, after the Olympic Games in Sydney, the ICF withdrew width restrictions on all boats, spurring a fury of innovations in boat designs. Modern boats are usually made of
carbon fiberCarbon fiber is a material consisting of extremely thin fibers about 0.005–0.010 mm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in microscopic crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
and/or
aramid fiberAramid fibers are a class of heat-resistant and strong synthetic fibers. They are used in aerospace and military applications, for ballistic rated body armor fabric, and as an asbestos substitute. The name is a shortened form of "aromatic polyamide"...
(e.g.,
KevlarKevlar is the registered trademark for a light, strong para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora.Developed at DuPont in 1965 by Stephanie Kwolek it was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
) with epoxy resin.
Some famous kayak racers are Ivan Lawler, a seven-time world champion, and Anna Hemmings, a three-time world champion.
In Canada, a racing class exists for the C-15 or WC or "
War CanoeA war canoe is a watercraft of the canoe type designed and outfitted for warfare, and which is found in various forms in many world cultures. In modern times, such designs have become adapted as a sport, and "war canoe" can mean a type of flatwater racing canoe.-War canoes as sport:War canoe is...
", 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.
PaddleA paddle is a tool used for pushing against liquids, either as a form of propulsion in a boat or as an implement for mixing.-Materials and designs:...
s for propelling are double-bladed for kayaks, and single-bladed for canoes, and are usually made of carbon fiber with epoxy. For kayaks so-called wing paddles are generally used, the blades of which are shaped to resemble a
wingA wing is a surface used to produce lift for flight through the air or another gaseous or fluid medium. The wing shape is usually an airfoil. The word originally referred only to the foremost limbs of birds, but has been extended to include the wings of insects , bats, pterosaurs, and aircraft.A...
. These paddles are more efficient than traditional paddles, presumably because they create extra "
liftA fluid flowing past the surface of a body exerts a force on it. Lift is defined to be the component of this force that is perpendicular to the oncoming flow direction. It contrasts with the drag force, which is defined to be the component of the fluid-dynamic force parallel to the flow...
" in the direction the kayak moves. The wing blade has undergone many evolutions in the past two decades, evolving from a flatter blade to one with a more pronounced curve to better catch the water. For
racing canoesA sprint canoe is a special type of canoe used in the sport of flatwater canoe racing.A one-person sprint canoe is 5.20 metres long; a traveling canoe of a similar length would be suitable for 2 to 3 people with gear...
, the blade will typically be 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 (a concept of Gene Jensen in the 1950s) but not to the degree used in marathon paddles. Many high-performance canoe paddlers prefer the feel of a carbon-fibre shaft mated to a wooden blade, while nearly all high-performance kayak paddlers use paddles made completely of carbon fiber.
See also
- Concrete canoe
A concrete canoe is a canoe made of concrete, typically created for an engineering competition.In spirit, the event is similar to that of a cardboard boat race—make the seemingly unfloatable float...
- Canoe orienteering
Canoe orienteering is an orienteering sport using a canoe, kayak, or other small boat. Usually, a canoe-O is a timed race in which one- or two-person boats start at staggered intervals, are timed, and are expected to perform all navigation on their own. Portages are allowed. The control points,...
- Sprint canoe
A sprint canoe is a special type of canoe used in the sport of flatwater canoe racing.A one-person sprint canoe is 5.20 metres long; a traveling canoe of a similar length would be suitable for 2 to 3 people with gear...
- List of Olympic medalists in canoeing (men)
- List of Olympic medalists in canoeing (women)
- List of Canoe/Kayak athletes by Country
Additional sources