India Kayak & Canoe squad at Asian Games 2023: Full team, Schedule, Medal chances

Canoe slalom, was introduced to the Olympic Games in 1972. India's athletes will contend for 4 gold medals in canoe slalom and an impressive 12 in canoe sprint in the Asian Games 2023.

India's history in this aquatic sport dates back to 1994 when they secured a single bronze medal in the C-2 1000M category. Now, after almost three decades, the question looms large: can the Indian contingent bring home a medal once more??

Indian Team for Asian Games 2023

men’s C1 1000m- Sunil Singh Salam

Men’s slalom (canoe)- Vishal Kewat Sein

Men’s C2- 500m (team)- Ribason Singh Ningthoujam, Gyaneshwor Singh Philem

Men’s C2 1000m (team) Arjun Singh, Niraj Verma

Women’s C2 500m (team)- Shivani Verma, Megha Pradeep

Women’s C2 200m (team)- Kaveri, Neha Devi Leichondam

Women’s slalom (kayak)- Shikha Chouhan

Men’s slalom (kayak)- Hitesh Kewat, Subham Kewat

Women’s K4 500m (team)- Binita Chanu Oinam, Parvathy Geeta, Dimita Devi Touam, Soniya Devi Phairembam

Schedule at Asian Games

Canoe- Slalom

The canoe slalom events of the Hangzhou Asian Games are scheduled to take place at the Fuyang Water Sports Centre from October 5 to October 7. Additionally, the canoe sprint events will also be hosted at the same venue but will occur earlier, from September 30 to October 3. The Fuyang Water Sports Centre in Hangzhou boasts a canoe slalom course that spans an impressive 281 meters in length. This course includes essential features such as a 50-meter starting pool and a 45-meter buffer zone.

(All timings are in IST)

Canoe- Slalom C1

October 5: Men- C1(Heat)- 7:00 AM, 12:30PM

October 6: Men- C1(Semi-final)- 6:30 AM

October 6: Men- C1(Final)- 11:30 AM

Canoe- Sprint

September 30: Men 1000m- C1(Heats)-(H1- 7:20 AM, H2- 7:28 AM)

September 30: Men 500m- C2(Heats)-(H1- 8:16 AM, H2- 8:34 AM)

September 30: Men 1000m- C1(Semi)-(12:45 PM)

September 30: Men 500m- C2(Semi)-(1:16 PM)

October 2: Men 1000m- C1(Final)-(7:40 AM)

October 2: Women 500m- C2(Final)-(8:10 AM)

October 2: Men 500m- C2(Final)-(9:15 AM)

October 3: Men 1000m- C2(Final)-(8:10 AM)

October 3: Women 200m- C2(Final)-(9:30 AM)

Kayak- Slalom K1

October 5: Men- K1(-1)- 7:00 AM, 12:30PM

October 5: Women- K1(-1)- 7:00 AM, 12:30PM

October 6: Women- K1(Semi-final)- 6:30 AM

October 6: Women- K1(Final)- 11:30 AM

October 7: Men- K1(Semi-final)- 6:30 AM

October 7: Men- K1(Final)- 11:30 AM

Kayak- Sprint

September 30: Men 1000m- K1(Heats)-(H1- 7:00 AM, H2- 7:08 AM)

September 30: Women 500m- K2(Heats)-(H1- 7:40 AM, H2- 7:48 AM)

September 30: Men 500m- K2(Heats)-(H1- 8:00 AM, H2- 8:08 AM)

September 30: Men 1000m- K1(Semi)-(12:30 PM)

September 30: Women 500m- K2(Semi)-(1:00 PM)

September 30: Men 500m- K2(Semi)-(1:08 PM)

October 1: Women 500m- K1(Heats)-(H1-7:10 AM, H2- 7:16 AM)

October 1: Women 500m- K4(Heats)-(H1-7:22 AM, H2- 7:28 AM)

October 1: Women 500m- K1(Semi)-(12:40 PM)

October 1: Women 500m- K4(Semi)-(12:46 PM)

October 2: Men 1000m- K1(Finals)-(7:30 AM)

October 2: Women 500m- K2(Finals)-(8:25 AM)

October 2: Men 500m- K2(Finals)-(9:10 AM)

October 3: Women 500m- K1(Finals)-(7:45 AM)

October 3: Men 500m- K4(Finals)-(8:35 AM)

October 3: Women 500m- K4(Final)-(9:15 AM)

Medal Chances at Asian Games 2023

India's chances of winning medals in canoeing and kayaking appear grim, as the last medal was secured in 1994. Recent performances, such as finishing eighth in Men's K2 1000m and sixth in Canoe C2 Men's 1000m at the 2018 Asian Games, have been disappointing.

Both K1 500m Women and K4 500m Men events also resulted in sixth-place finishes. These results suggest a lackluster trend, making it unlikely for India to win medals in this discipline at the moment.

Performance at the 2018 Asian Games

At the Asian Games 2018, Canoeing and Kayaking featured the second-largest Indian contingent, but the disappointing outcome was evident with no medals secured. In the Men's K2 1000m event, India settled for eighth place, failing to make a significant impact. Similarly, the Canoe C2 Men's 1000m event ended with a sixth-place finish, falling short of podium contention.

The K1 500m Women's event and the K4 500m Men's event also failed to produce any medal-worthy performances, resulting in lackluster sixth-place finishes. In the Canoe Double 500m Women's C2 event, India finished in the eighth position.

India's Records at Asian Games

India's achievements in canoeing and kayaking at the Asian Games have been modest, with a lone bronze medal to our credit. This bronze medal was secured in the C-2 1000m event during the 1994 Asian Games, and it was a commendable feat accomplished by Johnny Rommel and Siji Kumar Sadanandan.

Bronze- Johnny Rommel, Siji Kumar Sadanandan(C-2 1000m)