Paracanoe debuted at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. A meeting of the International Paralympic Committee in Guangzhou, China in 2010 decided to add paracanoe to the roster of the Summer Paralympic Games.
| Paracanoeing at the Summer Paralympics | |
|---|---|
| Events | 8 (men: 4; women: 4) |
| Games | |
| |
| http://www.paralympic.org/canoe | |
Paracanoe is a variant of canoeing for athletes with a variety of physical disabilities. The sport is governed by the International Canoe Federation (ICF).
Events
Competition at the Summer Paralympic Games consists of sprint races over a 200m straight line course. Since 2024, ten different events are held, five for each sex, with each sex eligible for two solo kayak and three Va'a outrigger events.
Equipment
The first paracanoe programme at the Paralympics in 2016 featured competitors using single kayaks (K1). For the 2020 paracanoe competitions, a second type of boat, the va'a, was added. This is an outrigger canoe propelled by a single bladed paddle. The canoeists, as in the Olympic Games, share their venue with the rowing regatta.
Competitor classification
There are three different classes for competitors with different physical mobility impairments:
- KL1 - only arms are used for paddling
- KL2 / VL2 - trunk and arms are used for paddling
- KL3 / VL3 - legs, trunk and arms are used for paddling
Medal table
Updated to 2024 Summer Paralympics
In the first three editions of paracanoe at the Paralympic games, the medal table has been dominated by Great Britain, and specifically by Great Britain's women, who have won ten from twelve gold medals in women's events, and every gold above the KL1 classification (as well as one of the three in KL1).
The most dominant nation in the mens events has been Australia, down largely to the four gold medals, a Paralympic record, won by Curtis McGrath. Nine nations have won at least one gold medal, and eighteen nations, representing all five Paralympic continents, have won at least one medal.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Britain (GBR) | 10 | 5 | 5 | 20 |
| 2 | Australia (AUS) | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
| 3 | Ukraine (UKR) | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
| 4 | Brazil (BRA) | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| 5 | Hungary (HUN) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 6 | Germany (GER) | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| 7 | Chile (CHI) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Poland (POL) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 9 | Algeria (ALG) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | France (FRA) | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 11 | United States (USA) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 12 | Austria (AUT) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Canada (CAN) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| RPC (RPC) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 15 | China (CHN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Italy (ITA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| New Zealand (NZL) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Portugal (POR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (18 entries) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 75 | |
Paralympic medalists
Men
- KL1
The KL1 Class is for paracanoe paddlers who have very limited or no trunk function and no leg function.
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Jakub Tokarz Poland | Robert Suba Hungary | Ian Marsden Great Britain |
| 2020 | Péter Pál Kiss Hungary | Luis Carlos Cardoso da Silva Brazil | Rémy Boullé France |
| 2024 | Péter Pál Kiss Hungary | Luis Cardoso da Silva Brazil | Rémy Boullé France |
- KL2
The KL 2 class is for paracanoe paddlers with partial leg and trunk function alongside good arm strength. A KL2 class paddler should be able to sit upright within the kayak but may require a backrest.
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Curtis McGrath Australia | Markus Swoboda Austria | Nick Beighton Great Britain |
| 2020 | Curtis McGrath Australia | Mykola Syniuk Ukraine | Federico Mancarella Italy |
| 2024 | Curtis McGrath Australia | David Phillipson Great Britain | Mykola Syniuk Ukraine |
- KL3
The KL3 class is for paracanoe paddlers with trunk function and partial leg function.
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Serhii Yemelianov Ukraine | Tom Kierey Germany | Caio Ribeiro de Carvalho Brazil |
| 2020 | Serhii Yemelianov Ukraine | Leonid Krylov RPC | Robert Oliver Great Britain |
| 2024 | Brahim Guendouz Algeria | Dylan Littlehales Australia | Miquéias Elias Rodrigues Brazil |
- VL2
The VL2 classification mirrors the KL2 classification but in reference to the Va'a outrigger canoe type. The Va'a outrigger was introduced in 2020.
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Fernando Rufino de Paulo Brazil | Steven Haxton United States | Norberto Mourão Portugal |
| 2024 | Fernando Rufino de Paulo Brazil | Igor Tofalini Brazil | Steven Haxton United States |
- VL3
The VL3 classification mirrors the KL3 classification but in reference to the Va'a outrigger canoe type. Some KL2 paddlers will qualify in this classification as a consequence of the extra stability of the outrigger boat.
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Curtis McGrath Australia | Giovane Vieira de Paula Brazil | Stuart Wood Great Britain |
| 2024 | Vladyslav Yepifanov Ukraine | Jack Eyers Great Britain | Peter Cowan New Zealand |
Women
- KL1
The KL1 Class is for paracanoe paddlers who have very limited or no trunk function and no leg function.
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Jeanette Chippington Great Britain | Edina Muller Germany | Kamila Kubas Poland |
| 2020 | Edina Müller Germany | Maryna Mazhula Ukraine | Katherinne Wollermann Chile |
| 2024 | Katherinne Wollermann Chile | Maryna Mazhula Ukraine | Edina Müller Germany |
- KL2
The KL 2 class is for paracanoe paddlers with partial leg and trunk function alongside good arm strength. A KL2 class paddler should be able to sit upright within the kayak but may require a backrest.
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Emma Wiggs Great Britain | Nataliia Lagutenko Ukraine | Susan Seipel Australia |
| 2020 | Charlotte Henshaw Great Britain | Emma Wiggs Great Britain | Katalin Varga Hungary |
| 2024 | Charlotte Henshaw Great Britain | Emma Wiggs Great Britain | Anja Adler Germany |
- KL3
The KL3 class is for paracanoe paddlers with trunk function and partial leg function.
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Anne Dickins Great Britain | Amanda Reynolds Australia | Cindy Moreau France |
| 2020 | Laura Sugar Great Britain | Nélia Barbosa France | Felicia Laberer Germany |
| 2024 | Laura Sugar Great Britain | Nélia Barbosa France | Felicia Laberer Germany |
- VL2
The VL2 classification mirrors the KL2 classification but in reference to the Va'a outrigger canoe type. The Va'a outrigger canoe event was introduced in 2020.
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Emma Wiggs Great Britain | Susan Seipel Australia | Jeanette Chippington Great Britain |
| 2024 | Emma Wiggs Great Britain | Brianna Hennessy Canada | Susan Seipel Australia |
- VL3
The VL3 classification mirrors the KL3 classification but in reference to the Va'a outrigger canoe type. Some KL2 paddlers will qualify in this classification as a consequence of the extra stability of the outrigger boat. The women's VL3 was the most recent new canoe event introduced, debuting in 2024.
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Charlotte Henshaw Great Britain | Hope Gordon Great Britain | Zhong Yongyuan China |
Multiple Medalists
The following canoeists have won 3 or more gold medals in para canoe at the Paralympic Games.
Correct as of 1 October 2025:
| No. | Athlete | Nation | Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curtis McGrath | Australia | 2016-2024 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | Emma Wiggs | Great Britain | 2016-2024 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 3 | Charlotte Henshaw | Great Britain | 2020-2024 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Péter Pál Kiss, of Hungary, Laura Sugar of Great Britain, Serhil Yemelianov of Ukraine and Fernando Rufino de Paulo of Brazil, each have two gold medals in canoeing. Edina Muller of Germany is the only canoeist, male or female, with a complete set of Paralympic Games canoeing medals, gold, silver and bronze, all in the KL1 event.
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