Kayak Cross, Slalom, Men

Kayak cross was making it Olympic début. Sometimes called kayak slalom extreme, the event consists of head-to-head races between two or more canoeists over a whitewater course. Britain’s Joe Clarke had won gold in kayak singles at Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and came to Paris as a strong favorite in this event. He was World Champion in kayak cross in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Clarke led the qualifying and all of his rounds until the final. New Zealand’s Finn Butcher had been silver medalist in the event at the 2021 World Championships and qualified sixth. He then led his first few rounds until he placed second behind Clarke in their semi-final heat. In the final, however, Butcher reversed that finish to defeat Clarke and take an unexpected gold medal, with Clarke earning silver. Behind them, Germany’s Noah Hegge took bronze. He had won multiple medals at international events, but all of them in team competitions.