GB’s Clarke & Woods win Olympic kayak cross medals

Great Britain’s Joe Clarke won Olympic silver after team-mate Kimberley Woods claimed bronze in a wonderfully-chaotic kayak cross event which entertained and excited the Paris 2024 fans.

In an event making its Olympic debut, Clarke finished second to make up for missing out on a medal in the men’s kayak single final earlier this week.

Moments earlier, Woods clinched her second medal of the Games after also winning bronze in a dramatic women’s single final.

The British pair each qualified by winning their quarter-final and semi-final races – which feature four kayakers tackling the course at the same time – leaving a double gold celebration looking possible.

Reigning world champion Woods, 28, started her final strongly but had difficulty at the final gate and lost momentum.

While Woods came over the line fourth, she was awarded bronze after Germany’s Elena Lilik was disqualified for a fault earlier in the race.

Attention quickly moved on to 31-year-old Clarke, who was aiming for Olympic redemption after being overlooked for the Tokyo 2020 team.

Clarke started slower than his previous races and was unable to make up the gap on New Zealand’s Finn Butcher.

Despite not claiming gold, both paddlers celebrated ecstatically after winning medals which are the reward for coming through tough personal journeys.

Woods, 28, found salvation through canoeing after enduring bullying which led to depression and self-harm.

Since coming through therapy between 2016 and 2018, Woods’ career has soared and led to the world title last year.

She celebrated another Olympic medal by jumping up and down on the podium alongside Australian gold medallist Noemie Fox and French silver medallist Angele Hug.

Helen Reeves, British Olympic bronze medallist on BBC TV

How can you not be engrossed and excited by this?

Joe Clarke has come back from disappointment in the K1, a fifth place finish a few days ago, and has secured that silver medal.

He was closed out from the beginning, I wonder if that was a tactic to reduce his paddle space to prevent that rapid start that we know he has.

More to follow.