The stage is set for Paracanoe paddlers from across the globe to make their mark at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
A little over a week after the Games were officially opened in the French capital, it’s now time for Paracanoe to shine on the big stage.
From September 6 to 8, 100 of the world’s best paddlers will race at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.
Paracanoe is making its third successive appearance at the Games where further history will be made for the sport.
It will be Paracanoe’s biggest-ever programme at a Paralympic Games with five men’s and five women’s events on the schedule.
The women’s VL3 has been added to ensure gender equality as 50 male and 50 female paddlers prepare to compete across the 10 events over three days of competition.
The star-studded field features seven defending champions including Australia’s Curtis McGrath.
No paddler has won more Paralympic golds than McGrath who has three titles to his name.
McGrath will be seeking a third straight men’s KL2 crown having emerged victorious at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 and will be aiming to retain the men’s VL3 title.
Among McGrath’s challengers include Ukraine’s Vladyslav Yepifanov in the men’s VL3 and Great Britain’s David Phillipson in the men’s KL2.
The other reigning Paralympic champions lining up in Paris are Hungary’s Peter Kiss, Brazil’s Fernando Rufino de Paulo, Germany’s Edina Mueller and British trio Charlotte Henshaw, Laura Sugar and Emma Wiggs.
Kiss will be bidding to make it back-to-back titles in the men’s KL1 – three years after becoming the youngest Paralympic gold medallist in Paracanoe at the age of 18.
France’s Remy Boulle, the reigning European champion, will be hoping to make home advantage count, while Brazil’s Luis Carlos Cardoso da Silva and Iran’s Saeid Hosseinpoorzarouni are among the other challengers for the crown.
With Ukraine’s two-time Paralympic champion Serhii Yemelianov not in Paris, the door is open for a new winner of the men’s KL3.
Spain’s Juan Antonio Valle won the world title in 2022 and 2024 either side of Australia’s Dylan Littlehales’ triumph in 2023.
Senegal’s Edmond Sanka came fourth at this year’s International Canoe Federation Paracanoe World Championships as he eyes Africa’s first-ever Paralympic medal in the sport.
Rufino and his Brazilian teammate Igor Alex Tofalini are poised to go head-to-head for men’s VL2 gold.
Just 0.61 seconds separated the two at the World Championships with Rufino coming out on top.
Steven Haxton of the United States and Norberto Mourao of Portugal finished second and third respectively at Tokyo 2020 and will be determined to return to the podium at Paris 2024.
The VL3 will appear for the first time in the women’s competition with Henshaw and her British teammate Hope Gordon the favourites to take the title.
Henshaw is a four-time world champion in the event, while Gordon took top spot in 2023.
The pair are part of a nine-strong Great Britain team who will be looking to top the medals table for a third straight Games.
Henshaw is the defending champion in the women’s KL2 where she is poised to come under pressure from another Brit in Wiggs who captured the gold at Rio 2016.
Wiggs made history at Tokyo 2020 when she became the first female paddler to win a va’a gold and will be seeking to finish first again in Paris.
Sugar is another gold-medal hope for Great Britain as she arrives as the reigning world and Paralympic champion in the women’s KL3.
Germany’s Mueller claimed the women’s KL1 title at Tokyo 2020 ahead of Chile’s Katherinne Wollermann and Ukraine’s Maryna Mazhula.
All three are medal contenders again with Wollermann boosting her hopes with victory at the World Championships in May.
The competition will begin on Friday with heats in all 10 events.
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