Kayak Singles, Slalom, Women

Canoe slalom singles appeared at the Olympics for the first time in 1972 and, unlike in the sprint events, up to three competitors from a single nation were allowed to compete. East Germany’s Angelika Bahmann, the reigning World Champion, was the favorite, but she would certainly be challenged by Czechoslovakia’s Ludmila Polesná, the 1967 and 1969 World Champion and 1971 runner-up. After the first run, Bahmann was in second after West Germany’s Magdalena Wunderlich, a relatively unheralded competitor. Poland’s Maria Ćwiertniewicz, meanwhile, was a distant third. Bahmann underwent a massive improvement in the second run and posted an impressive score that was more than sufficient to win gold. The biggest jump, however, came from West Germany’s Gisela Grothaus, who was ninth in round one, but runner-up in the second round and earned enough points to nab the silver medal. Ćwiertniewicz, meanwhile, improved her score, but not enough to pass Wunderlich, whose run one score allowed her to take bronze.