Canoe/Kayak

Basics
Canoe/kayak is contested in flatwater and whitewater.

In flatwater there are 12 events, nine for men and three for women. Men's races, consisting of both the canoe and the kayak, are contested at either 500 meters or 1000 meters. The three women's races are contested at 500 meters and are only in the kayak. In the following list, "C" denotes the canoe and "K" denotes the kayak, and the numbers indicate how many athletes are in the boat.

Flatwater kayak: K-4 500m.

Men's

• K-1 500m
• K-1 1000m
• K-2 500m
• K-2 1000m
• K-4 1000m
• C-1 500m
• C-1 1000m
• C-2 500m

Women's

• K-1 500m
• K-2 500m
• K-4 500m
  

In whitewater, there are four events: three for men and one for women. In both men's and women's events, the aim is to negotiate a 300-meter course consisting of 18 to 25 gates in the shortest amount of time, with time added for penalties. Boats go one at a time and race against the clock, not each other. Men compete in two canoe events and one kayak event, and the women's event is in the kayak.

Men's 

• C-1
• C-2
• K-1

Women's

• K-1 

2012 venues
The flatwater competition will be held at Eton Dorsey, the same venue utilized for rowing. The whitewater competition will be held at Broxbourne White Water Canoe Centre.

Beijing recap
No one nation dominated the flatwater competition, as nine nations came away with at least one gold medal in the twelve events. Perennial powers Germany and Hungary, as well as Belarus, left Beijing with two golds each.

Slovakia was the most successful nation in whitewater, winning three of the four gold medals. Michal Martikan won his second gold medal - and first since 1996 - in the men's C-1 competition; Pavol and Peter Hochschorner took the C-2 for their third consecutive Olympic titles together; and Elena Kaliska defended her 2004 title in the women's K-1.

The United States was led by two top-ten finishes in whitewater, Benn Fraker (6th in the men's C-1) and Heather Corrie (8th in the women's K-1).