With 122 athletes from 26 countries participating – several of them Olympic and world champions – the International Canoe Slalom test event that finished last Sunday (29 November) at the circuit in Deodoro was deemed a success. Athletes and managers praised the demanding course, which required technique and focus at the descent, even more so on Sunday with part of the event contested under heavy rain.

More about canoe slalom at the Olympic Games

Another standout for the arena that will host competitions at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games was the surrounding green landscape. “It’s already my favourite course. For me, it’s the best in the world”, said Ana Sátila, Brazil’s most renowned canoeist.

While the 19-year-old athlete, a K1 (individual kayak, in which athletes use a two-bladed paddle) world champion, has declared herself “in love” with the water and the course, mainly due to the demand for “complete concentration”, Simon Toulson, secretary-general of the International Canoe Federation, also praised the green surroundings.

“Construction is approved, the water cleaning system worked extremely well. The track is of a very high technical level. It is one of the best in the world, if not the best,” said Toulson. “It was a success. I’m happy.”

Coming sixth in the test event final, Sátila said she learnt a lot through the event and feels she has progressed, but admitted that there is still a lot of work to do. “We are now moving on to the World Cup, but with the advantage of having trained hard here, which will give us the experience we need to arrive well at the Games,” the Brazilian athlete said.

C2 is one the Olympic events on canoe slalom (Foto: Alex Ferro/Rio 2016)

Representing the company responsible for the canal’s construction (Whitewater Parks International), Bob Campbell said he felt rewarded by the reaction of the athletes. “John Felton, (who was) responsible for the placing of the blocks, is very good at this type of layout, this “sculpture”, which needs to maintain the water consistent, without thrashing the athlete to the sides. This way, the competitors don’t need to fight with the water, on the contrary,” Campbell explained. “It’s a technical track, for those who ‘feel’ the water, but also (for those who) enjoy the fluctuation of the currents. It’s an art form.”

As the track was narrower than the London 2012 course, the water descended with more pressure in Deodoro. Due to the placement of the obstacles, the athletes had to show varied skills. Cameron Smedley, who won gold at the C1 in the test event, highlighted the countless readings of the descent of the Deodoro track.

“It attacks the whole time and you need to be very strong mentally to know what to do when faced with so many possibilities. What you have to do is adapt quickly. But it’s very cool. It was good to come to Rio for this test event.”

For Italian Daniele Molmenti, current K1 Olympic champion (individual kayak), the water was very fast. “There was no room to breathe. It demanded a lot, both physically and mentally.” Molmenti said that he came to the test event “to get all possible information.”

Violetta Peters (Austria) qon the gold on womens K1. Coming to second place, Katerina Kudejova (Czech Reopublic) and Maialen Chourraut (Spain), the bronze winner, were also on the podium (Foto: Alex Ferro/Rio 2016)

Tony Estanguet, three-time C1 Olympic champion – including gold at London 2012 – and three-time world champion, was in Deodoro as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) athlete commission and as one of ICF’s vice-presidents. Estanguet approved the course. “Every five metres you have something different,” the Frenchman said. “The course is very demanding and it was a key step for the athletes to come to the test event. It has given them confidence. Everyone showed themselves to be serious and focused. I saw it in their eyes. I had a good feeling about the overall atmosphere.”

John MacLeod, Rio 2016 canoe slalom competition manager, has been involved with the sport for 50 years (he was an Olympic athlete at Munich 1972). He praised the track in Deodoro for being well built and technically challenging. “This place will be a classic for the sport. And it’s very beautiful as well. We learnt a lot and I think that there was a fantastic energy from the technical teams involved.”

Sebastián Cuattrin, Rio 2016 canoe manager, said that “everything went very well.” The challenging track was assessed positively: “The athletes, who are our main barometer, gave us very positive feedback.” The manager was also content with the work done by the technical crew and praised the organisation of the event, thanking the Fire Department for support.

Slovenian Peter Kauzer took place on K1 finals (Foto: Alex Ferro/Rio 2016)

On the crest of a wave

Brazilian C1 athlete Leonardo Curcel was another to give praise: “I loved it. Training here, we are going to develop our skills a lot. There is backwater, rapids, bubble (a type of ball in the water which creates instability), foam and reflux. It’s very challenging. This track can go head-to-head with any in the world. It could be the best.”

Guillermo Diez Canedo, Spanish assistant coach to the Brazilian national team, pointed out that the Deodoro course is slower than that of London, which can be tricky. “In stronger rapids, luck can have a bigger influence. This course allows a more technical and fluid slalom.” As a smiling Jean-Pierre Bourhis, a canoeist from Senegal, said: “You have to glide over the water, accelerating, accelerating, otherwise you’ll fall.”

Services approved

The test event was an opportunity to assess the entire electronic results system, which involved timers and video cameras on doors 18-25 of the rapid descent, scoreboards and an online results’ feed. The work of the technical officials, such as course referees and those responsible for measuring the boats, and several service teams – from rescuers to the announcer, from TI to catering, from security to volunteers ‒ were also evaluated.

Check here all test-event results