Olympic Paddling! Catch the U.S. Canoe and Kayak Olympic Team in the London Olympics

With the Olympic Ceremonies mere hours away, pre-Olympic coverage has tweeted about everything from the silliest banned items for spectators (leave those wide-brimmed hats at home) and speculation about who will light the torch (the money’s on Roger Bannister, who broke the 4-minute mile). But we’ve got our eye on a few of the Olympic athletes: the U.S. Canoe and Kayak Olympic Team.

Canoe and Kayak Team
Seven canoe and kayak athletes will participate in seven paddling events, starting on Sunday:

Sprint – women’s single kayak (K1) 500m: Carrie Johnson
Sprint – women’s single kayak (K1) 200m: Carrie Johnson
Sprint – men’s single kayak (K1) 200m: Tim Hornsby
Slalom – women’s single kayak (K1): Caroline Queen
Slalom – men’s single kayak (K1): Scott Parsons
Slalom – men’s single canoe (C1): Casey Eichfeld
Slalom – men’s double canoe (C2): Eric Hurd & Jeff Larimer

According to the team web site, there are two Olympic disciplines within canoeing and kayaking: flatwater sprint and whitewater slalom. Both include canoeing and kayaking, but there is currently no women’s canoeing in the Olympics. C1 and K1 denote a single canoeist or kayaker, and C2 indicates a team of two.

The Olympic Canoe and Kayak Schedule
Canoeing and kayaking events start on Sunday, July 29 (first full week below, in London time):

Sunday, July 19
Slalom Men’s C1 Heats,  13:30 – 16:30
Slalom Men’s K1 Heats,  14:24 – 17:30

Monday, July 30
Slalom Men’s C2 Heats,  13:30 – 16:30
Slalom Women’s K1 Heats,  14:12 – 17:30

Tuesday, July 31
Slalom Men’s C1 Semifinal, 13:30
Slalom Men’s C1 Final, 15:06

Wednesday, Aug. 1
Slalom Men’s K1 Semifinal, 13:30
Slalom Men’s K1 Final, 15:15

Thursday, Aug. 2
Slalom Men’s C2 Semifinal, 13:30
Slalom Men’s C2 Final, 15:18
Slalom Women’s K1 Semifinal, 14:12
Slalom Women’s K1 Final, 15:57

Canoe Sprint Schedule Results and Medals HERE >

Canoe Slalom Schedule Results and Medals HERE >

For the full schedule, and to learn more about the team’s history, visit their web site HERE.

Olympic Canoeing History
Canoeing and kayaking were introduced to the Paris Olympics as a demonstration sport in 1924, and made their official debut at the Berlin Games in 1936. Paralympic canoeing will make its debut in Rio in 2016.

The last time the U.S. won a gold medal in canoeing was the men’s C-2 slalom competition in 1992. Find a full list of medalists HERE.