Kayak Cross is an all-action, exhilarating discipline that will be making its Olympic Games debut at Paris 2024 this summer!
The fast-paced, whitewater sport combines elements of traditional kayak racing with the strategic and physical challenges of a head-to-head competition.
In kayak cross, four athletes race head to head simultaneously down a whitewater course, navigating through a series of obstacles, with the goal to be the first past the finish line.
The boat
As in the name, the discipline is only contested in kayaks, with athletes in identical plastic creek boats as opposed to the carbon fibre boats used in canoe slalom.
The course
The excitement starts right at the beginning as the four competitors slide off a ramp simultaneously and into the white water course.
From there it's a battle to the end, as athletes have to navigate a series of obstacles en route to the finish line.
With contact permitted, unless deemed dangerous, athletes battle past the downstream green buoys.
The course also consists of two sets of red upstream buoys, with athletes given a choice of two options in each case.
This is where tactics come into play as to whether they try to undercut a competitor or stay out of trouble.
Unlike canoe slalom, there can be contact with the gates as athletes can use their boat and paddle to help navigate.
There's also the small matter of a kayak roll, where athletes have a short window to complete a 360 degree flip in the roll zone.
Once all the obstacles have been completed it’s a straight fight to the finish line.
The rules and rounds
Every event starts with a time-trial, with athletes taking on the set course individually, looking to secure their place in the head-to-head rounds by posting the fastest time.
We then move on to the head-to-head, where four athletes battle through the rounds, with the top two progressing to the next stage until we reach the final.
The final four then battle it out for the medals with the top three earning their place on the podium.
There are a variety of ways to get penalised – breaking the start, missing a buoy, dangerous paddling, and failing to complete the kayak roll within the allocated area.
The events and who to look out for?
There are two competitions at the Olympic Games, men’s kayak cross and women’s kayak cross.
Women's Kayak Cross –Kimberley Woods & Mallory Franklin
Men's Kayak Cross –Joe Clarke MBE & Adam Burgess
British Success
Clarke and Woods will head to Paris 2024 as World Champions in kayak cross. The pair dominated the home waters of Lee Valley White Water Centre to win gold.
The duo have starred in the new Olympic discipline after taking to the sport. Clarke is a three-time World Champion after winning back to back to back titles since 2022.
Woods has claimed a huge six medals across two seasons in the sport, whilst Franklin was the 2022 Overall World Cup Champion having medalled four times during the season.
Olympic Schedule
Canoe Slalom and Kayak Cross will take place from 27 July – 5 August at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.
All times UK
2 August – 14:30 – Men’s and Women’s Kayak Cross Time-Trials
3 August – 14:30 – Men’s and Women’s Kayak Cross Round 1 & Repechage
4 August – 14:30 – Men’s and Women’s Kayak Cross Heats
5 August – 14:30 – Men’s and Women’s Kayak Cross Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Finals
You can find the full Kayak Cross schedule online here.
Live coverage of the Olympic Games will be available on the Discovery+ platforms, BBC, and Eurosport with specific channel information provided nearer the events.
There will also be coverage of the Olympic Games on Talksport.
![Joe Clarke MBE Kayak X Explainer](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jhiJ7Iks2Xk/maxresdefault.jpg)