There will be a canoe and kayak event each day of the Olympics, a combination of two distinct sports — canoe slalom (whitewater) and canoe sprint (flatwater).
Two American canoe slalom athletes have qualified for the Olympic Games and will be heading to Paris to race on the world stage where three canoe slalom events will take place — canoe, kayak, and kayak cross. Viewers of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 are sure to witness an electrifying spectacle as kayak cross makes its Olympic debut. Kayak cross is an exhilarating head-to-head race beginning with paddlers dropping from an elevated platform into a technical whitewater course. This thrilling event promises to captivate audiences worldwide.
Three American canoe sprint athletes have qualified for the Olympic Games and look forward to demonstrating their speed, balance and strength in Paris. Nevin Harrison, the reigning Olympic champion for the Women’s Canoe Single 200m event will race again in the Paris 2024 Olympic games, hoping to defend her title. On the men’s side, for the first time in 20 years, the United States has qualified a Kayak Double to compete in an Olympic Games.
Canoe Slalom Athletes to Watch:
- Evy Leibfarth – Fresh off a Kayak Cross podium at the first 2024 World Cup, Leibfarth is set to compete in her second Olympic Games and has strong medal potential. At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Leibfarth will make history, becoming the first American woman to compete in three whitewater events — women’s canoe, women’s kayak, and women’s kayak cross.
- Casey Eichfeld – A veteran of three Olympic Games, 2008, 2012, and 2016, Eichfeld, now a husband and a father, is set to compete in his fourth Olympic Games in the Men’s Canoe Single event.
Canoe Sprint Athletes to Watch:
- Nevin Harrison – In her first Olympic games, Harrison became the first woman to win a gold medal in the canoe single 200m event. This year, she will look to defend her title.
- Jonas Ecker – University of Washington student Jonas Ecker will compete in his first Olympic Games after qualifying Olympic quotas in both the Men’s Kayak Single 1000m event and the Men’s Kayak Double 500m event.
- Aaron Small – Recently graduated from the University of Washington and will compete in his first Olympic Games alongside Jonas Ecker in the Men’s Kayak Double 500m and Men’s Kayak Single 1000m events.
For inquiries: Kaycee Maas - kmaas@americancanoe.org
