The women's K-2 500 metres sprint canoeing event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 2 and 3 August 2021 at the Sea Forest Waterway.[1] At least 20 canoeists (10 boats of 2) from at least 9 nations competed.[2]
Background
This was the 16th appearance of the event, having appeared at every Summer Games since 1960.
A National Olympic Committee (NOC) could qualify one place in the event, though could enter up to 2 boats if it earned enough quota places through other women's kayak events. A total of 13 qualification places were available, initially allocated as follows:
3 places awarded to 3 different continents (excluding Europe) through the World Championships, which are then competed for at continental tournaments
1 places awarded through a European continental tournament
Qualifying places were awarded to the NOC, not to the individual canoeist who earned the place.[2]
The top 6 boats used only 5 of the 12 athlete quotas; the other 7 were reallocated up to the K-4. After the K-4 reallocation process, 3 spots were reallocated down to the K-2. This was sufficient to qualify China, using 2 of those places, but Austria could not qualify through reallocation because they needed 2 places and only 1 remained. The quota was reallocated further to the K-1 500 metres.
The three continental spots were awarded to Oceania (#9 New Zealand), the Americas (#13 Canada), and Africa (#19 South Africa); Asia had the lowest next-ranked team (#20 Uzbekistan). The continental tournaments were won by Tunisia, Germany, and Australia; the Americas spot was reallocated to the general World Championships after the tournament was cancelled. The World Championships spots were allocated as follows:[3]
Sprint canoeing uses a four-round format for events with at least 11 boats, with heats, quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. The specifics of the progression format depend on the number of boats ultimately entered.[5]
The course is a flatwater course 9 metres wide. The name of the event describes the particular format within sprint canoeing. The "K" format means a kayak, with the canoeist sitting, using a double-bladed paddle to paddle, and steering with a foot-operated rudder (as opposed to a canoe, with a kneeling canoeist, single-bladed paddle, and no rudder). The "2" is the number of canoeists in each boat. The "500 metres" is the distance of each race.[6]
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.[7]
_pictogram.svg)
