Canoe Slalom at the 2012 Summer Olympics

The slalom canoe events at the 2012 Summer Olympics were held at the Lee Valley White Water Centre in Hertfordshire, the first new venue to be completed for the Games. It was also the venue for the rowing events. The Olympic slalom canoe program was standardized in 1992, with no change in the men’s and women’s programs from 1992-2016. There were four slalom events, kayak and Canadian singles for men, men’s Canadian doubles, and women’s kayak singles. The slalom events were expanded to three days of finals. Qualification was changed to allow the possibility of an NOC entering two teams in the C2 event.

France was the most successfully slalom canoe nation in 2012, winning two of the four gold medals in the tournament, although Great Britain took advantage of the new qualification system by placing its teams first and second in the C2 event. Slovakia, which had won three of the four gold medals in 2008, was plagued with bad luck and finished with only two bronze medals.

France’s Tony Estanguet won his third gold medal in Canadian slalom singles, having won previously in 2000 and 2004. He also competed in 2008, but finished ninth. The twin brother pair of Pavol and Peter Hochschorner was back in London, having won gold at the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Olympics in Canadian slalom doubles, but their streak was broken as they finished third and won bronze in 2012, behind the gold medal winners from Britain, Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott.