Kayak Singles, Slalom, Men

Canoe slalom singles appeared at the Olympics for the first time in 1972 (and for the last time until 1992) and, unlike in the sprint events, up to three competitors from a single nation were allowed to compete. The reigning World Champion, Siegbert Horn of East Germany, was considered the favorite, although there were many canoeists in contention. After the first run, Horn was in 17th place, while Norbert Sattler of Austria, a 1971 World Champion in the K-1 team, was in first. Behind him were two West Germans, 1971 World bronze medalist in both the K-1 and K-1 team Ulrich Peters and Alfred Baum, another K-1 team bronze medalist from 1971. It was only the best of the two runs that mattered, however, and Horn pulled off a fantastic performance in the second run that edged out Sattler by 2.2 points and earned Horn the gold medal. Sattler settled for silver while another East German, Harald Gimpel, had a surprisingly well-executed run that placed him ahead of Peters and Baum and onto the final podium spot.