Canoe Singles (C1), Slalom, Women

This event was on the Olympic Programme for only the second time. Jess Fox was the defending gold medalist and the favorite, and she did not disappoint, adding a gold medal in this event to the one she had already won in Paris in the kayak singles. The World Champion in the event in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2018, she became only the third woman to defend a gold medal in an Olympic canoe slalom event, after Štěpánka Hilgertová (CZE) in 1996-2000 and Elena Kaliská (SVK) in 2004-2008 in kayak singles.

Mallory Franklin (GBR) came in ranked #2 in the world in this event but struggled in the final and finished last of the 12 finalists. This opened up the medals, and Germany’s Elena Lilik came through for the silver medal, although she had qualified only fifth and was seventh in the semi-finals. American Evy Leibfarth took bronze in her second Olympic appearance, although she was only 20-years-old in Paris. Czechia’s Gabriela Satková came in world ranked #3 and led the qualifying and the semi-finals but could finish only seventh in the final. Fox’s sixth Olympic medal moved her to the top of the medal list in canoe slalom, and her three Olympic gold medals have been matched only by Tony Estanguet (FRA) and the Slovakian Hochschorner brothers, Pavel and Peter.