Canoe/Kayak Sprint/Slalom: Exciting/Tedious

[SnideAsides]

Also known as "Budget Rowing" and "Use The Sidewalk, Idiots".

[Rick Kitchen]

A kayaker on a training run is reported to have capsized after hitting a sofa in the water.

[galaxygirl76]

Holy. Crap.

[emma675]

I don't even have words. In any other Olympics, I would have immediately thought that was a joke article, but in Rio, it's totally believable. Sadly.

[Ownedbydogs]

Unbelievable!  I feel so sorry for the competitors.  They have trained their whole lives for this.  The least the IOC could do is provide a safe "field of play".  I don't think dodging sofas is a routine part of the sport.  Disgraceful!

[isalicat]

I actually really enjoy the rowing events, partially because amazingly enough you get to see other countries besides the U.S. competing...so today I was watching live of the four man lightweight sculls (which Switzerland - apparently the world champions - who knew? won gold)....and I had my TV muted because I am supposed to be at work so I was getting close captions - *every single time* the word "scull" came up, NBC closed captions had it spelled "skull". Really...is there someone out there that actually thinks these guys are sitting in skulls?

[bosawks]

I have paddle envy!  Those things look crazy light.....

[blackwing]

Disappointed that neither Adam van Koeverden nor Mark Oldershaw advanced to the finals of their Kayak 1000m and 200m races.  I guess they are considered the old guard for Canadian paddling.  I'm wondering if their Olympic careers are done or if they will try to make it to 2020.  I had high expectations in particular for van Koeverden.  

[briochetwist]

1 minute ago, blackwing said:

Disappointed that neither Adam van Koeverden nor Mark Oldershaw advanced to the finals of their Kayak 1000m and 200m races.  I guess they are considered the old guard for Canadian paddling.  I'm wondering if their Olympic careers are done or if they will try to make it to 2020.  I had high expectations in particular for van Koeverden.  

Damn. Adam van Koeverden will always be my true Olympic love, I volunteer to comfort him.

[Daisy]

26 minutes ago, blackwing said:

Disappointed that neither Adam van Koeverden nor Mark Oldershaw advanced to the finals of their Kayak 1000m and 200m races.  I guess they are considered the old guard for Canadian paddling.  I'm wondering if their Olympic careers are done or if they will try to make it to 2020.  I had high expectations in particular for van Koeverden.  

Adam is ranked 9th in the world and wasn't really considered to medal at all. (his own expectations was to get to the final and take it from there but he even predicted the times of the A Final, and said it would be tough). 

He had a tweet, and it really sounded like he's hanging up the canoe. (or is the kayak). 

Oldershaw... he just sprinted too early to catch up. But it was a crap day on the water (who am I kidding, this games sucked major monkey's butt on the water). only one medal on the water. so not good enough for the amount of funding (over 17m.) they've gotten. Rowing Canada is expecting them to lose money due to this + London's poor results. I don't know if C+K is part of Rowing Canada but if it is....

it also doesn't help that everyone is retiring. 
 

24 minutes ago, briochetwist said:

Damn. Adam van Koeverden will always be my true Olympic love, I volunteer to comfort him.

LOL yah he looked like he needed a lot of it. 

[SnideAsides]

I always remember the canoe sprints as the boring version of rowing (thus the thread title), but it's actually a lot more interesting.

[EVS]

I just saw this.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/08/15/german-canoe-slalom-coach-stefan-henze-dies-from-injuries-suffered-in-rio-car-crash/

[walnutqueen]

2 hours ago, EVS said:

I just saw this.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/08/15/german-canoe-slalom-coach-stefan-henze-dies-from-injuries-suffered-in-rio-car-crash/

Tragic.