# Paracanoeing at the Summer Paralympics

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.
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. Eight different events are held.

## 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.

## 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
| 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 |
| 7 | 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 |
| 12 | Canada (CAN) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | RPC (RPC) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | China (CHN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | Italy (ITA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | New Zealand (NZL) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | Portugal (POR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (18 entries) | 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 details | Jakub Tokarz Poland | Robert Suba Hungary | Ian Marsden Great Britain |
| 2020 details | Péter Pál Kiss Hungary | Luis Carlos 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 details | Curtis McGrath Australia | Markus Swoboda Austria | Nick Beighton Great Britain |
| 2020 details | Curtis McGrath Australia | Mykola Syniuk Ukraine | Federico Mancarella Italy |

#### KL3

The KL3 class is for paracanoe paddlers with trunk function and partial leg function.
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 2016 details | Serhii Yemelianov Ukraine | Tom Kierey Germany | Caio Ribeiro de Carvalho Brazil |
| 2020 details | Serhii Yemelianov Ukraine | Leonid Krylov RPC | Robert Oliver Great Britain |

#### VL2

The VL2 classification mirrors the KL2 classification but in reference to the Va'a outrigger canoe type.
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 2020 details | Fernando Rufino de Paulo Brazil | Steven Haxton United States | Norberto Mourão Portugal |

#### 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 details | Curtis McGrath Australia | Giovane Vieira de Paula Brazil | Stuart Wood Great Britain |

### 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 details | Jeanette Chippington Great Britain | Edina Muller Germany | Kamila Kubas Poland |
| 2020 details | Edina Müller Germany | Maryna Mazhula Ukraine | Katherinne Wollermann Chile |

#### 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 details | Emma Wiggs Great Britain | Nataliia Lagutenko Ukraine | Susan Seipel Australia |
| 2020 details | Charlotte Henshaw Great Britain | Emma Wiggs Great Britain | Katalin Varga Hungary |

#### KL3

The KL3 class is for paracanoe paddlers with trunk function and partial leg function.
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 2016 details | Anne Dickins Great Britain | Amanda Reynolds Australia | Cindy Moreau France |
| 2020 details | Laura Sugar Great Britain | Nélia Barbosa France | Felicia Laberer Germany |

#### VL2

| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 2020 details | Emma Wiggs Great Britain | Susan Seipel Australia | Jeanette Chippington Great Britain |

### Multiple Medalists

The following canoeists have won 2 or more medals in para canoe at the Paralympic Games.
Correct as of 16 September 2021:
| No. | Athlete | Nation | Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Curtis McGrath | Australia | 2016-2020 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2 | Emma Wiggs | Great Britain | 2016-2020 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Serhii Yemelianov | Ukraine | 2016-2020 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Edina Müller | Germany | 2016-2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Jeanette Chippington | Great Britain | 2016-2020 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | Susan Seipel | Australia | 2016-2020 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |