PARIS, France — Athletes sit in their kayaks on a ramp 15 feet above the roaring Olympic rapids and wait to drop down into the water. They will work around obstacles and each other, for a chance at winning gold.
But, first, they need to flex their paddling skills in the time trials on Friday.
Kayak Cross—a chaotic-looking addition to the Olympics—is now a part of the 2024 Paris Games canoe slalom events.
There were only four slalom events before “cross” entered the stage for the first time this year. And this is a contact sport.
The platforms drop and the athletes paddle through the narrow and challenging course with changing rapid patterns.
One of these athletes is North Carolina’s Casey Eichfeld.
Eichfeld is in Paris for his fourth Olympic run.
He is originally from Pennsylvania, but he and his family now live in Charlotte, North Carolina. He can sometimes be spotted in the Queen City, training with teammates at the U.S. National Whitewater Center.
His status as a now 4-time Olympian will never outshine his self-appointed title of ‘girl dad.’ He took his daughter along with him to Paris, where she first got to watch him participate in the slalom men's canoe heats.
His run time of 94.69 seconds in the canoe heats qualified him for the semifinals on July 29. During the solo semifinals on Monday, Eichfeld came in 16th place with a total score of 162.23. That means he didn't qualify for the final in men's canoe.
On Friday, he took to the whitewater once again in the Kayak Cross time trials. He completed his first run with a time of 81.13. In Saturday's first round, Eichfeld finished 3rd in his race, meaning he does not qualify for the next round.
Previous Olympic Appearances: Eichfeld placed 11th in the 2008 tandem event, 14th going solo in 2012 and 7th solo in 2016. In 2016, he also placed 10th in the tandem event.
WCNC Charlotte To Go is a daily news and weather podcast you can listen to so you can start your day with news that impacts you from the team at WCNC Charlotte.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Pandora || TuneIn || Google Podcasts || iHeart
All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.