Whitewater is inconsistent, made of big features mixed with small cross-currents. Slalom boats only weigh nine kilos, so they are extremely sensitive to movement.

To be an elite slalom paddler, an athlete has to put in thousands of hours of training on different whitewater courses, practising hundreds of different gate combinations. This type of lifestyle training takes slalom athletes all over the world, practising on the most challenging whitewater for any gate sequence that might come up in a race.

Though slalom is undoubtedly complex it is also a remarkably inclusive sport.

Many Olympic sports have anatomic specification – for example in swimming, long limbs often feature in the fastest athletes. In contrast, success can be seen in slalom with hugely varying body types. Over the years canoe slalom Olympic champions have been seen to have bodyweight margins of up to thirty kilos between one another. Short or tall, light or heavy, the world’s masters of whitewater are a comprehensively mixed bunch.

There are several reasons for success in such a broad spectrum of predispositions. A slalom race is effectively a ninety second lactic effort. So all athletes must have good lactic tolerance, and speed-endurance capabilities. However the effectiveness of this fitness is defined by the individuals technical ability on the water. Misplaced power in a slalom race can cost athletes a lot of time, if they can’t use the water to their advantage.

The best paddlers can use the water features to create effortless movements. Often in slalom, smaller athletes are able to use water features effectively because their lighter bodyweight can balance on top of the rapids. We often see bigger, heavier paddlers being able to blast through complex moves as though they were flat water, because the rapids simply don’t have the same effect on them.

“Fight the water and you will lose” is a saying that all athletes, big or small, learn at some point (and often continually) in their careers.

Next comes the hardest part. For a perfect run, athletes have to memorise twenty four gates, along with the sometimes unfamiliar whitewater features that comprise a race course. Being able to practise the moves mentally gives a competitor a distinct advantage over the rest of the field. Getting this mental map perfect before a race run can be make or break.

As a result slalom is often incredibly unpredictable.

When they have mastered mind as well as body, an athlete knows on the start line what’s going to happen. In slalom, it’s not just about being the best at kayaking and canoeing. It’s about having the cleanest mind, the most forgiving temper, and the most indestructible confidence. A level of balance is required that is hard to simulate in any other environment in the world.

Slalom is the hardest, most addictive sport in the world.

You May Also Like

Canoeing and Kayaking in the Olympics | The History of the Sport

Kimberley Woods Interview | Canoeing & Kayaking at the Olympics