The men's C-2 1000 metres sprint canoeing event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 2 and 3 August 2021 at the Sea Forest Waterway.[1] 28 canoeists (14 boats of 2) from 14 nations competed.[2]
Background
This was the 20th appearance of the event, one of four events to be held at every Summer Games since canoeing was introduced in 1936.
A National Olympic Committee (NOC) could enter only 1 qualified boat (2 canoeists) in the event. A total of 13 qualification places were available, initially allocated as follows:
5 places awarded through continental tournaments, 1 per continent
Qualifying places were awarded to the NOC, not to the individual canoeist who earned the place.[2]
Isaquias Queiroz of Brazil qualified in both the C-2 and the C-1, resulting in an additional quota place added to the C-2 with the Czech Republic adding that quota place to its C-1 spot to qualify in the C-2. This brought the total number of boats in the event to 14. The Americas continental tournament was cancelled; that place was allocated through the World Championships, with the place going to Canada.[4] The Oceania place was also reallocated, with Europe receiving a second place.[5]
Competition format
Sprint canoeing uses a four-round format for events with at least 11 boats, with heats, quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. For a 14-boat event, the rounds are as follows:[6]
Heats: Two heats of 7 boats each. The top 2 boats in each heat (4 boats total) advance directly to the semifinals, with all others (10 boats) going to the quarterfinals.
Quarterfinals: Two heats of 5 boats each. The top 3 boats in each heat (6 boats total) advance to the semifinals, with the remaining 4 boats out of medal contention and competing in the consolation Final B.
Semifinals: Two heats of 5 boats each. The top 4 boats in each heat (8 boats total) advance to the medal Final A, with the remaining 2 boats out of medal contention and competing in consolation Final B.
Finals: Final A consists of the top 8 boats, awarding the medals as well as 4th through 8th place. Final B features the remaining 6 boats, awarding 9th through 14th places.
The course is a flatwater course 9 metres wide. The name of the event describes the particular format within sprint canoeing. The "C" format means a canoe, with the canoeist kneeling and using a single-bladed paddle to paddle and steer (as opposed to a kayak, with a seated canoeist, double-bladed paddle, and foot-operated rudder). The "2" is the number of canoeists in each boat. The "1000 metres" is the distance of each race.[7]
Schedule
The event was held over two consecutive days, with two rounds per day. All sessions started at 9:30 a.m. local time, though there are multiple events with races in each session.[8]
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