Joe Clarke quickest as kayak cross makes Olympic debut
Joe Clarke put the disappointment of missing out on a canoe slalom K1 gold swiftly behind him by qualifying quickest for the kayak cross.
The 31-year-old Stone paddler, who finished fifth in Thursday’s K1 final, was quickly back in action less than 24 hours later at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium for the kayak cross time trial round.
Clarke is a three-time world champion in a discipline making its debut at Paris 2024 and favourite to become its first Olympic gold.
His qualifying time of 66.08 seconds earned him the No.1 ranking for today’s first round, meaning he gets to pick his lane for a race which also features Tunisia’s Salim Jemai and America’s Casey Eichfeld.
