Canadian Singles, 500 metres, Men

Maksim Opalev of Russia was the reigning European and two-time World Champion in the C-1 500 and a favorite to win gold at the 2000 Summer Olympics. The field in Sydney was strong, however, and included Martin Doktor of the Czech Republic, the defending Olympic and 1997 World Champion, as well as the most recent World and two-time European runner-up, Slavomír Kňazovický of Slovakia, the 1996 Olympic runner-up, Ukraine’s Mykhailo Slivinsky, the 1989, 1990, and 1991 World Champion, 1988 and 1992 Olympic runner-up, and 1997 and 1998 World bronze medalist, and Bulgaria’s Nikolay Buhalov, the 1992 Olympic, 1997 European, and 1993, 1994, and 1995 World Champion. Also in contention were Germany’s Andreas Dittmer, the 1998 World runner-up and 1999 bronze medalist, and Hungary’s György Kolonics, one of the strongest canoeists from a strong canoeing nation, although his only major international medals in this event were silver at the 1993 World Championships and bronze at the 1997 European Championships. Ledys Balceiro of Cuba, meanwhile, had won the title at the most recent edition of the Pan American Games.

Opalev, Kolonics, and Kňazovický finished in that order in the first opening heat and all advanced directly to the final, while Dittmer, Doktor, and Balceiro accomplished the same in the second. The latter’s victories meant that Buhalov and Slivinsky were relegated to the semi-finals, where they came second and third to Canada’s Maxime Boilard. The final was fairly well spread out, with Kolonics, Opalev, and Dittmer crossing the line as the first three finishers with room to breathe. This was Dittmer’s second medal of the Games, after having won the C-1 1000 the day before.