Kayak Cross: 5 Things To Know About This Spectacular Discipline

If you think you know everything about canoeing and kayaking from following Tony Estanguet's exploits since the Sydney Olympics in 2000, you might be surprised by a whole new Olympic discipline... More intense and more spectacular, this race between four paddlers is experiencing phenomenal growth. Here are 5 things to know about kayak cross.

1- It is a race between four competitors.

Kayak cross is a new event that will surprise you at the Paris 2024 Olympics! While athletes take turns in other canoe and kayak slalom events, in this new discipline, four athletes line up at the start to compete against each other.

In this form of extreme kayaking, competitors are not ranked based on their time, as in other Olympic canoe and kayak events, but based on their finishing position.

They all navigate together in the basin and must jostle to cross the finish line first, making for an especially intense and spectacular race.

2- The departure takes place several meters high.

When I stumbled upon the first trials of kayak cross for the Paris 2024 Olympics on television, I couldn't believe my eyes. Even though the concept of a race between four competitors is simple to understand, this new Olympic event, also called extreme slalom, revitalizes the image we have of kayaking...

Right from the start, the tone is set as the four boats literally jump into the water from a starting ramp over 3 meters high! Splashes and great spectacle guaranteed!

3- Kayakers are allowed to touch the buoys.

As in classic slalom events, the course is marked by green buoys to navigate downstream and red buoys to paddle upstream against the current.

In kayak cross, the course includes 6 to 8 buoys that competitors are allowed to touch without incurring penalties. The goal is, of course, to reach the bottom of the course as quickly as possible, which is less technical than in classic slalom.

But this course is far from a smooth ride, as kayakers are allowed contact between paddles and boats, as long as it is not dangerous or unsportsmanlike. In short, they are not allowed to touch the body of other competitors, but you will see them fiercely battling for the best position relative to the gates and for a chance to finish first.

Another novelty that left me speechless: competitors must perform an Eskimo roll within a specific area of the course! This involves rotating their boat 360 degrees, during which the kayaker's head goes underwater.

4- The images are spectacular.

With impressive maneuvers right from the starting ramp, kayak cross brings a breath of fresh air and novelty to the world of canoe-kayak.

Tony Estanguet, the triple Olympic champion in canoeing who also serves as president of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee, has helped promote this discipline for about ten years.

This form of extreme kayaking was introduced as a demonstration at the 2015 World Cup and then integrated into the World Championships in 2017. The discipline subsequently earned its place in the Olympic program for the Paris 2024 Games, much to the delight of extreme sports enthusiasts and fans of beautiful visuals. If you already love BMX and skicross, this form of extreme kayaking is sure to excite you!

5- The French have medal chances in this discipline.

The latest good news about kayak cross is that French athletes have every chance in this new Olympic discipline.

The events of the Paris 2024 Olympics, scheduled from August 2 to 5, 2024, will take place in the Olympic basin of Vaires-sur-Marne, which French rowers know well. This Olympic site is usually their training ground. The French team therefore has an advantage over their competitors.

The four French athletes participating in this new Olympic discipline (Boris Neveu, Titouan Castryck, Camille Prigent, and Angèle Hug) qualified effortlessly for the quarterfinals. But of course, in such an intense race, you never know what might happen. So, be sure to closely follow the women's and men's quarterfinals, scheduled for today, Monday, August 5, starting at 3:30 PM.

If you want to watch these events where we have medal chances, stay tuned to France 2 this afternoon. Each race is quite fast, with the final in this discipline scheduled around 4:40 PM for women and 4:45 PM for men.