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What is flatwater sprint kayaking/canoeing?
Flatwater canoeing/kayaking in Finland
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What is flatwater sprint canoeing/kayaking?
 Canoening is divided in two main disciplines, kayaking and canoeing. Kayak (marked with K) is paddled with two-bladed paddle in sitting-position and canoe (marked with C) is paddled with one-bladed paddle in knee-position. Both kayaks and canoes are for one, two or four paddlers (K-1, K-2, K-4 and C-1, C-2, C-4), women race only in kayaks.
Canoeing was first time in the Olympic games in Berlin in 1936. Distances in the Olympics are 500m and 1000m, in the world championships 200m is also in the program. Longer distances are raced only in national events, expect marathon which has its own world championships. 
 		   
Knut Holmann, Norway 
 3 times Olympic Champion in K-1,  
one of the greatest athletes ever 
Flatwater canoeing/kayaking in Finland
Finns have been participating in every Olympic Canoeing regatta since Berlin 1936. First medals came from London 1948. In the games of Helsinki 1952 Finland was leading country in canoeing with 4 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze. After Helsinki medals were always very close, but the next olympic medal didn't came until 1992, when Mikko Kolehmainen sensationally won men's K-1 500m in Barcelona. His best achievement before being 7th place in World Championships 1991. Kolehmainen managed defend his place as number one paddler in the world by winning K-1 500 in the World Championships 1993. In World Champs 1995 and Olympic Games 1996 he made it to the final in both 500m and 1000m, but didn't won medals. 
 
 
Since Kolehmainen's retairement after season-1997 Kimmo Latvamäki has been Finlands number one paddler. His best achievement being fourth places in K-1 200 in World Champs 1997 and 1999, he also represented Finland in Sydney but didn't made it to the final in 500m
Finns have always preferred kayaks to canoes, but there have been some good C-paddlers also, for example Timo Gronlund who was fourth in C-1 1000m in Los Angeles 1984. Nowadays C-racing  has allmost died in Finland,  there are just couple of older paddlers still racing.
Olympic Games, Medal winners and all finnish placements from 1936 to 1988.
Olympic Games 1992 in Barcelona, results

This site
This site's purpose is to promote and to give information about sport of flatwater sprint kayaking, especially in Finland. It also works as the personal page of some paddlers behind it. Note: this page has nothing to do with Finnish Canoeing Federation or Finnish National Team.
If you have ideas how to improve the site, know links which should be added, etc. or just want to contact the maintainers of the site, please send email: email@sprintkayak.com



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