Canoe and Kayak slalom through time.

Here are some videos showing how Canoe Slalom has changed and progressed over the years, from the first world championships to the modern day. There is clearly a stark change from the old boats of the 50’s and 60’s to the 4m boats of the 80’s, which remained until the end of 2004. After 2004 slalom boats were reduced to 3.5m and became a lot more manoeuvrable and lighter in weight. So there is a step change once again when the shorter boats come into the game, with much more dynamic turns being demonstrated, and arguably becoming more spectator friendly. Anyway, enjoy, and worth watching if you are interested in the history of canoeing and kayaking in general.

Geneva 1949, the first slalom World Championship

Geneva 1949: the first wildwater world championships from WildWater TV Italia www.wwtv.it on Vimeo.

Augsburg, 1957

Augsburg (GER), 1957 slalom canoeing world championships from WildWater TV Italia www.wwtv.it on Vimeo.

1971 Slalom World Championship

Merano (ITA), 1971 slalom canoeing world championships from WildWater TV Italia www.wwtv.it on Vimeo.

1986 Slalom at Holme Pierrepont

Richard Fox 1989, Savage River

1991 US slalom team practice

1992 US team trials

Campbell Walsh 2004 Olympics Qualifier

Helen Reeves 2004 Olympics Bronze Medal run

Men’s K1 final, 2012 Olympics