Germany performed well in the men’s kayak events while New Zealand and Canada surprised Olympic and world champions China in the women’s canoe double 500m.

Here are some quotes as Canoe Sprint competition began at the Olympic Games.  

Thomas Green (Australia)

“Feels really good. We came out there today to do what we have been training to do, and I think we have come down the course in good positions. Now, we just have a few things to work on leading into the semis.”

Jean Van Der Westhuyzen (Australia)

“We kind of have a little motto. We just want to be like a dog on a bone out there, we just want to go for it. We have been racing this race from the back on and give ourselves a chance. Whether we come first or last, at least we know we tried.”

Carlo Tacchini (Italy)

“It was a tough race, we didn’t have the best race, so we think we can improve and get better for the semis. It was very important that we missed the quarter finals, so we broke the ice in a good way. It’s been eight years since my last Olympic appearance, this is where I want to be, so I just need to keep enjoying the moment.” 

Marko Novakovic (Serbia)

“We kept our story all through the race. We didn't look around, kept it like training at home - we were calm and believed in our training. Let's see how it goes in the semifinal. Well it's good because less races means more energy, so I hope it will be enough to get fresh for the next race.” 

Jacob Schopf (Germany)

“There is a lot of pressure, but I think it's our third year together in this boat. In the beginning, we had to fix some problems, and we did it in a really good way. Last year we became world champions, so I think we fixed them. It was a really good start for us in the K4. We are hyped and motivated.”

Max Lemke (Germany)

“It was a pretty good start for the first day, two wins. It definitely motivated us for the upcoming days. We were really happy that we performed well in the K4. There is always a lot of pressure when you are the favourite going into the competition, so we are happy we performed well.”

Lisa Carrington (New Zealand)

“It is hard not to come in with high expectations. We know we work as hard as we can, and prepare the best we can. We don’t know what the result is going to be, but we all line up wanting a gold medal.”

Shixiao Xu (China)

“I think we are well-prepared and will try our best to do our things. It is obvious that they all want gold. So we will try our best to show how we prepared and show how well we have trained. It is obvious that we have a lot of pressure at these Olympics, but we will just try our best and compete with no regrets.”

Katie Vincent (Canada) 

“That was incredible. I know my family is in the stands and so is Sloan’s. Having that support behind us helps a lot. Tokyo was a little quieter, maybe a little lonelier. Having everybody here, I think we are feeling that a little in the water. That last 150 when you have that crowd, and the pride of being Canadian, helps out on the water.”