Contested on a whitewater course, canoe slalom first appeared as an Olympic demonstration event at Munich 1972 and became a permanent fixture at Barcelona 1992.
At Tokyo, the programme will include men’s and women’s canoe (C1) and kayak (K1). In canoe, participants will kneel with a one-blade paddle, while kayak will see them seated with a double-edged paddle.
France has enjoyed the most success in slalom competition, with six gold medals, but the most successful individual performer has been Slovakian Michal Martikan, who medalled at five consecutive Olympics, including golds at Atlanta 1996 and Beijing 2008, and has 15 world titles over a 24-year-career.
Kiwi Luuka Jones captured K1 silver - New Zealand’s only slalom medal - at Rio 2016 and will feature in both kayak and canoe at Tokyo. She was bronze medallist behind Slovenian Eva Tercelj and Aussie Jessica Fox at the 2019 world championships.
NZ Team
Callum Gilbert - men’s K1
Luuka Jones - women’s C1 & K1
