Paracanoe at the Summer Paralympics Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Paracanoe at the Summer Paralympics

Events	8 (men: 4; women: 4)
Games
1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Medalists
http://www.paralympic.org/canoe

Paracanoeing is an exciting water sport where athletes with different physical disabilities race canoes. It's like regular canoeing, but specially adapted for Paralympic athletes! This sport first appeared at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The International Paralympic Committee decided to add it to the Paralympic Games in 2010. The International Canoe Federation (ICF) is the main group that organizes and sets the rules for paracanoeing around the world.

What are Paracanoe Races Like?
Boats Used in Paracanoeing
How Paracanoe Athletes are Classified
Paracanoe Medal Winners
See also

What are Paracanoe Races Like?

In the Paralympics, paracanoeing races are super fast! Athletes sprint 200 meters in a straight line. There are eight different events where athletes compete for medals.

Boats Used in Paracanoeing

When paracanoeing first joined the Paralympics in 2016, athletes used single kayaks. These are often called K1 boats. For the 2020 Paralympic Games, a second type of boat was added: the va'a. A va'a is a special type of outrigger canoe. It has a support float on the side to help keep it stable. Athletes use a single-bladed paddle to move the va'a through the water.

How Paracanoe Athletes are Classified

Athletes in paracanoeing are grouped into different classes based on their physical abilities. This makes sure that competitions are fair. There are three main classes for athletes with different levels of movement:

KL1 - Athletes in this class use only their arms to paddle. They have very limited or no movement in their body or legs.
KL2 / VL2 - Athletes in this class use their body (trunk) and arms to paddle. They have some leg movement but might need a special backrest in their boat.
KL3 / VL3 - Athletes in this class can use their legs, body (trunk), and arms to paddle. They have more movement in their legs and body.

The "KL" stands for Kayak, and "VL" stands for Va'a. So, a VL2 athlete has similar abilities to a KL2 athlete, but they compete in the va'a boat.

Paracanoe Medal Winners

This section shows which countries have won the most medals in paracanoeing at the Paralympics. It includes results up to the 2020 Summer Paralympics.

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Great Britain (GBR)	6	1	5	12
2	Ukraine (UKR)	3	3	0	6
3	Australia (AUS)	3	2	1	6
4	Brazil (BRA)	1	2	1	4
Germany (GER)	1	2	1	4
6	Hungary (HUN)	1	1	1	3
7	Poland (POL)	1	0	1	2
8	France (FRA)	0	1	2	3
9	Austria (AUT)	0	1	0	1
RPC (RPC)	0	1	0	1
United States (USA)	0	1	0	1
12	Chile (CHI)	0	0	1	1
Italy (ITA)	0	0	1	1
Portugal (POR)	0	0	1	1
Totals (14 entries)	16	15	15	46

Men's Paracanoe Medalists

KL1 Class Medalists

The KL1 class is for paracanoe paddlers who have very limited or no body and leg movement. They use only their arms to paddle.

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
2016 details	Jakub Tokarz Poland	Robert Suba Hungary	Ian Marsden Great Britain
2020 details	Péter Pál Kiss Hungary	Luis Carlos Cardoso da Silva Brazil	Rémy Boullé France

KL2 Class Medalists

The KL2 class is for paracanoe paddlers who have some leg and body movement, along with good arm strength. They can usually sit upright in the kayak.

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
2016 details	Curtis McGrath Australia	Markus Swoboda Austria	Nick Beighton Great Britain
2020 details	Curtis McGrath Australia	Mykola Syniuk Ukraine	Federico Mancarella Italy

KL3 Class Medalists

The KL3 class is for paracanoe paddlers who have good body movement and some leg movement.

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
2016 details	Serhii Yemelianov Ukraine	Tom Kierey Germany	Caio Ribeiro de Carvalho Brazil
2020 details	Serhii Yemelianov Ukraine	Leonid Krylov RPC	Robert Oliver Great Britain

VL2 Class Medalists

The VL2 class is similar to the KL2 class, but athletes compete in the va'a outrigger canoe.

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
2020 details	Fernando Rufino de Paulo Brazil	Steven Haxton United States	Norberto Mourão Portugal

VL3 Class Medalists

The VL3 class is similar to the KL3 class, but athletes compete in the va'a outrigger canoe. Because the va'a boat is more stable, some KL2 paddlers might also qualify for this class.

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
2020 details	Curtis McGrath Australia	Giovane Vieira de Paula Brazil	Stuart Wood Great Britain