RIO DE JANEIRO - Preview facts for the four canoe sprint events - C1 1000m, K1 200m, K1 1000m, K2 500 - which start on Monday 15 August at Lagoa Stadium.

Men's C1 1000m

Sebastian BRENDEL (GER) hopes to become the second athlete to win multiple gold medals in the men's C1 1000m.

Josef HOLECEK (TCH) is the only athlete to have won multiple gold medals in the men's C1 1000m, as he won in 1948 and 1952.

Since his victory at the London 2012 Olympic Games, BRENDEL has won 16 of the 18 major races in which he participated, including two wins in world championships (2014 and 2015) and in three European championships (2014, 2015, 2016).

BRENDEL only failed to win at the European championships (sixth) and world championships in 2013 (silver).

Hungary (3) has won most gold medals in this event, followed by Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Germany and Romania (all 2).

Martin FUKSA (CZE) could hand Czech Republic its second gold medal in this event, after Martin DOKTOR (CZE) in Atlanta 1996.

Serghei TARNOVSCHI (MDA), third in the men's C1 1000m at last year's world championships and second at the European championships this year, could hand Moldova its second medal in any canoe sprint event.

At Atlanta 1996 Nikolay JURAVSKI (MDA) and Victor RENEISKIY (MDA) won silver medal in the men's C2 500m.

Coming into Rio 2016, Moldova had only claimed multiple medals in boxing (2) and weightlifting (2).

 

[caption caption="Sebastian BRENDEL (GER)"][/caption]

 

Women's K1 200m

Lisa CARRINGTON (NZL) is looking for her second Olympic gold medal in the women's K1 200m.

CARRINGTON won the first ever Olympic women's K1 200m race at London 2012.

Since that victory in 2012, CARRINGTON won all 12 major races in which she participated: world titles in 2013, 2014 and 2015 and nine World Cup events, including in 2016 in Duisburg and Montemor-o-Velho.

Her last defeat in a major women's K1 200m race came at the world cup in Duisburg in May 2012, when Natasa DOUCHEV-JANIC (HUN) proved too strong.

DOUCHEV-JANIC claimed the bronze medal in this event at London 2012.

Coming into Rio 2016 only three women from New Zealand had won multiple Olympic gold medals - rowers Caroline EVERS-SWINDELL (NZL, 2), Georgina EVERS-SWINDELL (NZL, 2) and shot putter Valerie ADAMS (NZL, 2). ADAMS improved to three medals on Friday night.

Marta WALCZYKIEWICZ (POL) finished second behind CARRINGTON at each of the last four world championships (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015) and can become the first Polish woman to claim a medal in an individual canoe sprint event since Barcelona 1992 when Izabella DYLEWSKA-SWIATOWIAK (POL) won bronze in the women's K1 500m.

Inna OSIPENKO-RODOMSKA (AZE) was silver medallist in this event at London 2012, which she claimed while representing Ukraine. She could become the first Azerbaijani medallist representing in any canoe sprint event (men or women).

Sarah GUYOT (FRA) won the only world cup race in 2016 in which CARRINGTON was not competing, in Racice in May, and won the European title in 2016. She could become the first female French athlete to win a medal in an individual canoe sprint event at the Olympic Games.

 

[caption caption="Lisa CARRINGTON (NZL)"][/caption]

 

Men's K1 1000m

Norway's dominance in men's K1 1000m will not continue at Rio 2016.

Norwegian athletes won gold in the men's K1 1000m at four of the five last Olympic Games: Knut HOLMANN (NOR) in 1996 and 2000 and Eirik VERAS LARSEN (NOR) in 2004 and 2012, but no Norwegian will compete in this event at Rio 2016.

Only Norway (4), Sweden (4) and East Germany (2) have won multiple gold medals in this event.

The last time no Norwegian finished on the podium in this event was at Seoul 1988, when Greg BARTON (USA), Grant DAVIES (AUS) and Andre WOHLLEBE (GDR) made up the podium.

At the last four world championships the men's K1 1000m had a different winner: Adam VAN KOEVERDEN (CAN) in 2011, Max HOFF (GER) in 2013, Josef DOSTAL (CZE) in 2014 and Rene HOLTEN (DEN) in 2015.

DOSTAL won two of three world cup races in 2016 (in Racice and Montemor-o-Velho). No athlete representing Czech Republic has previously claimed a medal in this event.

The other world cup event this year in Duisburg was won by HOLTEN. He could become the second gold medallist in this event representing Denmark, after Erik HANSEN (DEN) in 1960.

HOLTEN finished fourth in this event at London 2012.

HOFF claimed the bronze medal in this event at London 2012 and can become the first athlete representing Germany to claim multiple medals in this event.

Fernando PIMENTA (POR) won the men's K1 1000m at the European championships in Moscow this year, beating POULSEN (second) and HOFF (fourth). He could become the first Portuguese athlete (men and women) to collect a medal in an individual canoe sprint event.

Together with Emanuel SILVA (POR), PIMENTA collected the silver medal in the K2 1000m at London 2012.

VAN KOEVERDEN has already claimed two medals in this event at the Olympic Games (S1-B1) and hopes to become the fifth athlete to claim three or more medals, after Gert FREDRIKSSON (SWE, 4), VERAS LARSEN (3), HOLMANN (3) and BARTON (3).

VAN KOEVERDEN can become the first athlete to complete the gold-silver-bronze medal set in this event.

[caption caption="René Holten POULSEN (DEN)"][/caption]

 

Women's K2 500m

Franzi WEBER (GER) and Tina DIETZE (GER) can win a record fourth gold medal for Germany in the women's K2 500m.

Coming into Rio 2016, Germany and Soviet Union (both 3) have won joint-most gold medals in the women's K2 500m.

WEBER and DIETZE won the gold medal in this event at London 2012 Olympic and could become the third pair with back-to-back victories in this event, after Annemarie ZIMMERMAN (EUA/FRG) and Roswitha ESSER (EUA/FRG) in 1960-1964 and Katalin KOVACS (HUN) and Natasa JANICS (HUN) in 2004-2008.

Agneta ANDERSSON (SWE), Anke VON SECK (GDR/GER) and Birgit FISCHER (GDR/GER) also have won two gold medals in this event, but did so with different partners.

Gabriella SZABO (HUN) and Danusia KOZAK (HUN) could become the first reigning world champions to also win Olympic gold in the women's K2 500m since 1992, when VON SECK and Ramona PORTWICH (GER) did so at Barcelona 1992.

This century, Hungary has won 11 of the 16 world titles and Olympic gold medals decided in this event. Germany has won four and Austria one.

Beata MIKOLAJCZYK (POL) and Karolina NAJA (POL) have finished on the podium in 12 of the 14 major events in which they participated in the K2 500m (world championships, European championships and world cups). During this run, the only times they failed to do so were at the European games in Baku in 2015 (sixth) and the world championships of 2015 (fourth) .

Anastasiia TODOROVA (UKR) and Inna HRYSHCHUN (UKR) won the world cup event in Racice in 2016 and can win Ukraine's first Olympic medal in this event.

[caption caption="Franzi WEBER (GER) and Tina DIETZE (GER)"][/caption]