Rio Olympics : Canoeing

The Lagoa from above.

One last event that I have a ticket for, and a great location, the canoe sprint taking place on the Lagoa, lagoon I guess, basically a large lake separated from Copacabana beach by a narrow strip of land.  Easy for me to get to, downhill then actual cycle paths, and again a cheap seat, for what turns out to be a variety of races across the water.

Mostly it's kayaks, men's doubles and women's singles over various distances... have to say, this is not the greatest spectator sport, it's not really possible to tell who is leading barring the moment they're directly in front of me.  After a while I find a seat high up, having a panoramic view makes things a bit easier.  Odd competition format here, there are lots of heats, which seem largely pointless, everyone in them gets to the semi finals, except the winner who goes straight to the final.  Not that I'll be seeing any finals, they're not 'til tomorrow.

Isaquias Queiroz on his way to winning his semi final.

Well, I get to see one good result for Team GB as Liam Heath and Jon Schofield win their semi in the two hundred metre double kayak - they'll go on to get the silver medal.  The locals have something to cheer too, Isaquias Queiroz wins a semi final too, in the men's single canoe - differing from the kayaks in having an open hull, and propelled Polynesian style with a single bladed paddle.  He'll go on to take the bronze.  Pretty full here in the cheap seats, whether down to support for Queiroz,  or just proximity to the many condominiums surrounding the Lagoa, I don't know.  Nice to have a bit of atmosphere anyway, a fun morning all told in fact.

Doesn't seem too hard!

Photos to go with this post can be found here.