# Canoeing at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's slalom K-1

The women's K-1 slalom canoeing event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 25 and 27 July 2021 at the Kasai Canoe Slalom Course. 27 canoeists from 27 nations competed.

## Background

This was the ninth appearance of the event, having previously appeared in every Summer Olympics with slalom canoeing: 1972 and 1992 to 2016.
Reigning Olympic champion Maialen Chourraut of Spain made her fourth Olympic appearance (she also took bronze in 2012), attempting to defend her title. Reigning World Champion Eva Terčelj of Slovenia also competed as a medal hopeful. She placed 13th in 2012.

## Qualification

A National Olympic Committee (NOC) could enter only 1 qualified canoeist in the women's slalom K-1 event. A total of 24 qualification places were available, allocated as follows:
* 1 place for the host nation, Japan
* 18 places awarded through the 2019 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships
* 5 places awarded through continental tournaments, 1 per continent
Three additional athletes competed, having already earned a quota in the Women's C1 event.
Qualifying places were awarded to the NOC, not to the individual canoeist who earned the place.
The World Championships quota places were allocated as follows:
| Rank | Canoeist | Nation | Qualification | Selected competitor |
| 1 | Eva Terčelj | Slovenia | 1st placed NOC | Eva Terčelj |
| 2 | Jessica Fox | Australia | Earned quota in C1 | Jessica Fox |
| 3 | Luuka Jones | New Zealand | 2nd placed NOC | Luuka Jones |
| 4 | Kateřina Minařík Kudějová | Czech Republic | 3rd placed NOC | Kateřina Minařík Kudějová |
| 5 | Ricarda Funk | Germany | 4th placed NOC | Ricarda Funk |
| 6 | Kimberley Woods | Great Britain | 5th placed NOC | Kimberley Woods |
| 7 | Stefanie Horn | Italy | 6th placed NOC | Stefanie Horn |
| 9 | Ana Sátila | Brazil | Earned quota in C1 | Ana Sátila |
| 10 | Maialen Chourraut | Spain | 7th placed NOC | Maialen Chourraut |
| 12 | Camille Prigent | France | 8th placed NOC | Marie-Zélia Lafont |
| 14 | Viktoriia Us | Ukraine | 9th placed NOC | Viktoriia Us |
| 16 | Corinna Kuhnle | Austria | 10th placed NOC | Viktoria Wolffhardt |
| 18 | Aki Yazawa | Japan | 11th placed NOC | Aki Yazawa |
| 21 | Evy Leibfarth | United States | Earned quota in C1 | Evy Leibfarth |
| 22 | Eliška Mintálová | Slovakia | 12th placed NOC | Eliška Mintálová |
| 23 | Natalia Pacierpnik | Poland | 13th placed NOC | Klaudia Zwolińska |
| 27 | Lena Teunissen | Netherlands | 14th placed NOC | Martina Wegman |
| 30 | Mònica Dòria | Andorra | 15th placed NOC | Mònica Dòria |
| 39 | Jane Nicholas | Cook Islands | 16th placed NOC | Jane Nicholas |
| 40 | Florence Maheu | Canada | 17th placed NOC | Florence Maheu |
| 41 | Xu Yanru | China | 18th placed NOC | Li Tong |
Continental and other places:
| Nation | Canoeist | Qualification | Selected competitor |
| Kazakhstan | Yekaterina Smirnova | Asia quota | Yekaterina Smirnova |
| Morocco | Célia Jodar | Africa quota | Célia Jodar |
| Mexico | Sofía Reinoso | Americas quota | Sofía Reinoso |
| Switzerland | Naemi Brändle | Europe quota | Naemi Brändle |
| ROC | - | Reallocation of Host quota | Alsu Minazova |
| Chinese Taipei | - | Reallocation of Oceania quota | Chang Chu-han |
Notes $^a$ The quota for the Americas was allocated to the NOC with the highest-ranked eligible athlete, due to the cancellation of the 2021 Pan American Championships.

## Competition format

Slalom canoeing uses a three-round format, with heats, semifinal, and final. In the heats, each canoeist had two runs at the course with the better time counting. The top 24 advanced to the semifinal. In the semifinal, the canoeists get a single run; the top 10 advanced to the final. The best time in the single-run final wins gold.
The canoe course was approximately 250 metres (820 ft) long, with up to 25 gates that the canoeist had to pass in the correct direction. Penalty time was added for infractions such as passing on the wrong side or touching a gate. Runs typically lasted approximately 95 seconds.

## Schedule

All times were Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
The women's slalom K-1 took place over two separate days.
| Date | Time | Round |
| Sunday, 25 July 2021 | 13:00 | Heats |
| Tuesday, 27 July 2021 | 14:00 | Semifinal Final |

## Results

| Rank | Bib | Canoeist | Nation | Preliminary heats | Preliminary heats | Preliminary heats | Preliminary heats | Preliminary heats | Preliminary heats | Semifinal | Semifinal | Semifinal | Final | Final | Final |
| Rank | Bib | Canoeist | Nation | 1st Ride | Pen. | 2nd Ride | Pen. | Best | Order | Time | Pen. | Order | Time | Pen. | Order |
| | 2 | Ricarda Funk | Germany | 101.90 | 2 | 101.56 | 0 | 101.56 | 2 | 107.96 | 4 | 3 | 105.50 | 0 | 1 |
| | 5 | Maialen Chourraut | Spain | 108.25 | 2 | 105.13 | 0 | 105.13 | 5 | 109.92 | 2 | 7 | 106.63 | 0 | 2 |
| | 1 | Jessica Fox | Australia | 104.05 | 0 | 98.46 | 0 | 98.46 | 1 | 105.85 | 2 | 1 | 106.73 | 4 | 3 |
| 4 | 4 | Stefanie Horn | Italy | 109.82 | 2 | 104.79 | 0 | 104.79 | 4 | 108.52 | 0 | 4 | 106.93 | 2 | 4 |
| 5 | 13 | Klaudia Zwolińska | Poland | 108.97 | 2 | 110.46 | 0 | 108.97 | 10 | 111.76 | 0 | 10 | 108.98 | 4 | 5 |
| 6 | 6 | Luuka Jones | New Zealand | 110.22 | 4 | 101.72 | 0 | 101.72 | 3 | 108.97 | 2 | 5 | 110.67 | 0 | 6 |
| 7 | 15 | Martina Wegman | Netherlands | 113.29 | 2 | 109.84 | 0 | 109.84 | 12 | 110.74 | 2 | 8 | 111.33 | 0 | 7 |
| 8 | 12 | Viktoriia Us | Ukraine | 120.09 | 2 | 113.99 | 4 | 113.99 | 17 | 111.53 | 2 | 9 | 111.85 | 0 | 8 |
| 9 | 14 | Eliška Mintálová | Slovakia | 107.67 | 2 | 117.55 | 10 | 107.67 | 8 | 107.18 | 0 | 2 | 158.36 | 50 | 9 |
| 10 | 10 | Kimberley Woods | Great Britain | 109.63 | 2 | 107.82 | 4 | 107.82 | 9 | 109.00 | 0 | 6 | 177.09 | 56 | 10 |
| 11 | 9 | Viktoria Wolffhardt | Austria | 114.63 | 0 | 112.28 | 0 | 112.28 | 16 | 112.11 | 0 | 11 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance |
| 12 | 16 | Evy Leibfarth | United States | 125.85 | 2 | 111.70 | 2 | 111.70 | 15 | 112.73 | 0 | 12 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance |
| 13 | 8 | Ana Sátila | Brazil | 108.22 | 2 | 106.82 | 0 | 106.82 | 7 | 114.62 | 0 | 13 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance |
| 14 | 11 | Marie-Zélia Lafont | France | 121.48 | 6 | 110.25 | 2 | 110.25 | 13 | 115.81 | 2 | 14 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance |
| 15 | 7 | Kateřina Minařík Kudějová | Czech Republic | 107.87 | 0 | 106.41 | 0 | 106.41 | 6 | 116.15 | 2 | 15 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance |
| 16 | 18 | Mònica Dòria | Andorra | 110.57 | 2 | 110.54 | 4 | 110.54 | 14 | 118.15 | 0 | 16 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance |
| 17 | 21 | Alsu Minazova | ROC | 120.60 | 2 | 115.39 | 4 | 115.39 | 20 | 120.66 | 4 | 17 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance |
| 18 | 23 | Naemi Brändle | Switzerland | 230.37 | 100 | 135.00 | 8 | 135.00 | 24 | 121.91 | 4 | 18 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance |
| 19 | 17 | Aki Yazawa | Japan | 129.87 | 8 | 127.91 | 6 | 127.91 | 22 | 124.73 | 0 | 19 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance |
| 20 | 19 | Li Tong | China | 117.27 | 2 | 114.36 | 2 | 114.36 | 19 | 130.86 | 4 | 20 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance |
| 21 | 24 | Sofía Reinoso | Mexico | 132.89 | 4 | 143.19 | 8 | 132.89 | 23 | 136.34 | 4 | 21 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance |
| 22 | 22 | Jane Nicholas | Cook Islands | 150.17 | 2 | 120.10 | 4 | 120.10 | 21 | 144.84 | 6 | 22 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance |
| 23 | 20 | Florence Maheu | Canada | 114.29 | 0 | 135.35 | 2 | 114.29 | 18 | 152.37 | 4 | 23 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance |
| 24 | 3 | Eva Terčelj | Slovenia | 115.93 | 8 | 109.11 | 2 | 109.11 | 11 | 162.48 | 50 | 24 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance |
| 25 | 27 | Yekaterina Smirnova | Kazakhstan | 180.46 | 52 | 135.25 | 6 | 135.25 | 25 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance |
| 26 | 25 | Chang Chu-han | Chinese Taipei | 182.95 | 56 | 136.66 | 8 | 136.66 | 26 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance |
| 27 | 26 | Célia Jodar | Morocco | 171.38 | 14 | 258.46 | 108 | 171.38 | 27 | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance | did not advance |