After a tense wait before the drop that signalled the start of the first-ever men’s kayak cross Olympic final, New Zealander Finn Butcher was greeted with the one sight he wanted to see more than anything else – clear water, which he made the most of by going on to become Olympic champion.
The Kiwi paddler blazed out of the traps to open a lead on Britain’s world number one Joe Clarke, and despite his rival’s best efforts Butcher held on to win, with Germany’s Noah Hegge picking up the bronze.
“When we dropped off the ramp and I had a bit of clear water in front of me, I just went as hard as I could and went for it and to finish in front was insane,” an emotional Butcher told Reuters, his gold medal around his neck.
“I think coming out of the last upstream (gate), I honestly couldn’t believe it. It’s gonna take a while to sink in, but I’m so stoked,” he added.
Butcher navigated the course, featuring eight downstream and two upstream gates plus an Eskimo roll, in flawless fashion. And a good thing, because Clarke was hot on his heels, and one error could have cost Butcher gold.
“I could feel him all the way down the middle, and he’s an absolute powerhouse. I was just going as hard as I could, and I could feel him in the last couple downs (downstream gates),” Butcher explained.
“I just knew that I needed to execute the last upstream, and it would be good as gold.”
The 29-year-old was as good as his word, rounding the last upstream gate in a controlled fashion before paddling powerfully to the finish line to become the first men’s Olympic champion in the discipline, with Clarke taking the silver.
“An absolute adrenaline dump,” he said, describing his feelings as he left the last upstream gate. “I was just looking around, I couldn’t believe it. And all my friends on the side, running down with me, was like crazy.”
“Shout out to the Aussies. Shout out to the New Zealand team, like they were just running down, so loud beside me, and pushed me to the end,” Butcher said, his voice cracking with emotion.
“It’s just special to bring this home, it’s crazy,” he added. “It was crazy. I couldn’t even like process any of it, it was pretty special to see the (New Zealand) flag get raised.”